


The Heroes Saga

by Shatterpath



Category: Birds of Prey (TV)
Genre: F/F, Original Character(s), POV Alternating, POV First Person, Superheroes, Superpowers, Tails
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-03-15
Updated: 2005-03-15
Packaged: 2017-10-26 03:29:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 143,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/278156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shatterpath/pseuds/Shatterpath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When some out-of-town strangers show up in New Gotham, things get very interesting for our superheroes…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm With You

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to AJ, Amy, Kara, Retz, Lena, Lex, Lil and whomever I might have forgotten that has prodded me along in the saga of this story!
> 
> Rating warnings: There are serious adult themes in this story. Kinky sex, threesomes, characters getting seriously hurt. Buckle your seatbelts folks; you're in for quite a ride. The rating will have a few X's in it by the time my muses are all wrung out. Quite a lot of XXX…
> 
> Category: 'mirror' universe for the Birds of Prey. While it will bear a resemblance to the original, this is my version of where the series could have gone.
> 
> Date: Begun in March of 2003. Completed in March of 2005. It's like I planned it…
> 
> Disclaimer: The Birds of Prey in all their forms belong to people other than me. They just wanted to come out of the toybox and get in some fun. No harm in that, huh? The new kids are mine, and I put a lot of work into them, so I hope you like them.
> 
> Spoilers: Hell yes! There are references to the lamented first and only damn season, as many as I can fit in. This project is my version of what happened after the series finale.
> 
> Notes: All words in _italics_ are telepathic communication. A big shout out to the amazingly talented Anne McCaffery for her vivid description of 'Between' that inspired my teleportation. While I'm not big into song fics, I used favorite tracks as title and some inspiration for the chapters of this fic.
> 
> Character notes: I created the twins because I seem to have a fascination with prehensile tails. Really, the whole damn story started from that one concept. How could I know that the twins would be so freakin' awesome?
> 
> Total word count: 149,736. Y'know, I had no idea how egotistical this looks… See, my writing partner, the infamous Ariestess, loves word counts, so I gave into temptation, and was flat-out astonished at how many damn words there were in this story! I mean, if I churned out one fifty grand in one saga… How many words have I pieced together into patterns over the course of twenty-two years of writing?

++ Ro ++

It was never easy to come to a new city, and this was the biggest one outside of New York I'd ever been in. Like its predecessor, New Gotham was a bewildering contrast of light and dark, jaded and wide-eyed, brains and brawn. The heartbeat of this great organism of millions of lives was growing on me fast. Not to mention the endless supply of entertainment. Between the typical distractions of any city, there was an active nightlife, both literally and figuratively. The crime in New Gotham was unreal, like wild rats locked in too small of a space. There were swarms of them in the shadows, and the light scattered them like cockroaches. If it was this bad with superhero protection, then maybe we really should go introduce ourselves to lanky, dark and sexy over there.

" _You're broadcasting again. That libido of yours is coming in FM stereo._ "

" _Shut up_ ," I grumbled back silently via the telepathic link and my mentor chuckled softly between my ears. " _You've seen her through my eyes. Can you blame me?_ "

" _Nope_ ," Davie smirked and my half-hearted scowl turned into a long-suffering sigh. " _But I'm not going to give you a break either, Leonardo m'boy._ "

" _What is it with you and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, anyway? Pain in my ass._ "

With her familiar, distorted telepathic chuckle echoing softly in my thoughts, I refocused on my quarry. It was impossible to think of the woman known as Huntress as my prey, or anyone else's for that matter. Not with every move like an alley cat who could survive anything. My pack and I had been in New Gotham almost a week now. It had taken me less than two nights to find her dancing across the rooftops to patrol her territory. But less than one night for me to pick up her scent in the heartbeat of this place and fall in love with the taste and smell of her. Describing my animal sensory input was nearly impossible, the barrage of smell and taste and body language a thousand times too intricate for any and all the languages of earth to describe. Davie always told Shan and me that sensing through us was a rush better than anything she'd ever experienced. Eyes as sensitive as any cat's tracked the shadowy presence of the dark woman in the night. Born with sensory abilities that no mere human could dream of, and I still had a bitch of a time keeping track of Huntress.

Leather trench coat rippling out behind her like a banner, she was rapidly getting away from me. Saints, but she could move! An impossible leap like something out of The Matrix had her on a roof that even my eyes could barely make out. "Dammit," I mumbled and concentrated.

As familiar as the sensations might be, it was a heady rush every damn time. With the deliberate appliance of a memory and the variables of time of day/night and what the skies looked like in this weather, I was gone. There was a terrifying moment of nothing, absolutely nothing; no sensation of self or place while my body went from here to there. Then I was back, dropping lightly to the new location and shaking off the fatigue that teleporting always hit me with. It was a cool Metahuman power; even if it had some limitations that drove me crazy sometimes.

If Huntress kept on a relatively straight course, she would pass right by me and I could continue my superhero watching. Settling into absolute silence and stillness in deep shadow, I waited for the hunt to play out.

" _Did you lose her?_ " Suddenly broke through the mental wanderings clogging my brain and I was immediately paying attention.

" _Dunno. She should've passed by here already._ "

" _Odd. You better go check it out._ "

Seized by a case of nerves, I was ashamed that even my head voice sounded whiny. " _But what if she sees me?_ "

" _We have to say howdy at some point, Ro._ "

" _Yeah, well_ ," I pouted and uncoiled from my hiding spot. " _I don't have to like it._ "

Perching on the edge of the roof, I stretched out my senses and let the city talk to me. There was the usual hum of traffic, the babble of voices and a billion other sounds. Most of them were instantly discounted as background noise and I heard what I both wanted and dreaded. Muscles and tendons were uncoiling before I was consciously reacting. Millions of years of instincts spliced into my genes by modern technology did come in handy sometimes. There was no time to think while moving across this kind of territory at these kinds of speeds, only the burn of the primitive. Animal instinct got me to where I needed to be and then handed the reins back to the upper brain to deal with the threat.

There were fifteen of them, fifteen! And five were already sucking pavement. Someone was serious about getting the Huntress and didn't care who was hurt in the process. Or killed apparently. The dull flash of a dozen guns had me reacting almost faster than I could keep up with. Gravity pulled my body to the ground and I did what I had to do.

 

++ Dinah ++

So much for a quiet night. I had been discretely following Helena around for so many weeks now, that it was habit. What worried me is that she honestly seemed to be clueless that I was doing it. Acting stupid all this time wasn't in character for her. Had Helena known I was tailing her, she would have at least made a smartass remark, or more likely, gotten really pissed. But Helena was just going through the motions since Quinzel had turned all of our lives upside-down. Barbara hadn't exactly been chatty lately either. Big shocker there, a psycho trusted by the person she trusts most killed her boyfriend. School was nearly as bad as home, what with everybody so shocked by Mr. Brixton's death. I still felt weird calling him Wade, I mean he is… rather was a teacher at my school.

Barbara's voice in my com distracted my mental wanderings. "Huntress? Huntress? Dammit! Canary!"

"On it," I confirmed crisply and headed off in the direction Helena had just gone. That tone only came out when Barbara heard something truly bad over the com sets. I had to wonder if she ever sounded that frantic over me…

Part of me was frozen in horror at the scene. Bodies on the street, Helena dropping to her knees, blood pouring from her upper body, the flash of what looked like a hundred gun barrels. I was screaming denials even as a flash of black dropped from the fire escape below me. The mysterious figure draped all over Helena as the alley erupted into the deafening roar of gunfire.

I couldn't move as smoke filled the alleyway and the figure in black flinched away from the bullets pummeling them, but remained protecting Helena with their own body. The sight steeled me and I moved to join the fray.

As quickly as it had begun, the noise stopped and my body reacted. With a batarang anchoring me, I was rappelling down to land heavily on two of the bastards who had shot at Helena. It wasn't a landing to write home to Oracle about, but I didn't fall, so I was satisfied. Red-eyed with rage at these bastards, I ignored the voice in my ears and laid into the assailants like a woman possessed. Feet, elbows and fists rocked and all, but my real weapon was my brain. Not only because I was smarter than these assholes, but because I knew something they didn't.

"Get her!"

It would be the last thing he would say for a very long time. The power of my rage and genes smashed two of them back like rag dolls in a wave of fiery blue energy, another glare had two more eating wall nearby. It felt good to loose some of my pain and frustrations on these goons. There was no snappy patter, no enjoyment in this fight, only the need to make them hurt for attacking Helena. She might be dead, or bleeding to death only yards away and my anger rose higher.

It wasn't until I started to calm down that I realized that three of them were running off in fear and one seemed really familiar. In the haze of adrenaline dump and physical exhaustion, I filed his face away and turned to face the still pile of black leather nearby. One of the goons stirred with a groan and I kicked him silent again. "Canary?! Are you okay? What the hell's going on?"

"I'm checking on Huntress now," I replied hastily and rushed over. "But there's somebody here that helped her out and they're both down." When the stranger draped across Helena's body suddenly made a soft sound and twitched, hope flooded through my body. Please, let me not be the only one wearing body armor…

There was a forest of scuff marks covering the expansive billows of the trench/cape wrapped around the stranger's body. They were tall, slender and solid under heavy layers of what, thank God, looked like some kind of thick body armor. The stranger was trying to get up on one elbow as I carefully pulled out the pair of telescoping batons that Barbara had been teaching me to use and knelt down.

"Hey," I said softly, trying not to startle the person who had pretty much saved the crumpled and shallow-breathing Helena. "I need to make sure my partner there's okay." Okay, the Darth Vader-esque headgear was a little creepy, but I refused to budge. It was a close-fitting helmet with bug-eyed goggles and a faceplate like the nose of a semi-truck. Up on their elbows, the stranger suddenly hissed in pain and collapsed, only half on top of Helena this time. "Dammit… Oracle, there's blood everywhere and I can see Huntress has a nasty cut by her collarbone. I think at least one of those bullets nailed Robin Hood here."

Then I felt someone behind me and the reflexes went into overdrive.

 

++ Shan ++

The curvy blonde in the leather and Kevlar was serious and I went defensive. I could smell Ro's blood and feel the echo of her pain. It made me growl aggressively and the girl stiffened and dropped into an even tighter defensive stance. "Wait!"

Okay, neither of us had expected that. It was Ro, sprawled painfully beside the Huntress. "Found her, I see," came from my mouth in a deceptively mild tone and the masked blonde cocked her head.

"You come in matching sets?"

She was a feisty one. I liked that in a woman. The tension was racked up again as Ro squirmed and moaned, "Blessed Saints, this hurts! Knock it off you two, before we bleed to death here!"

The blonde had her entire upper face covered and I had no clue as to her intent except that her jaw was set in a stubborn line. Considering that Ro and I were masked like sci-fi cartoon characters, I'm sure that the woman was reluctant to just trust us. "Listen," I entreated after forcing down my hostility and pack instincts. "Just let me get her and get the hell out of here. The cops will be here any minute and I'd hate to try and explain this to yet another bank of drawn guns."

There was the faintest wisp of sound… that voice that the Gotham girls kept reacting to. While the masked character wasn't broadcasting, Huntress was, although it was really faint. " _Mikey_ ," Davie's voice prodded me in a tone that was growing urgent. " _Quit flirting with the locals. Not all the police in New Gotham are eating donuts._ "

"Give Sticks over here that same advice, Splinter," I growled sarcastically and the girl's head tilted curiously. "Dammit, that was supposed to be an inside thought." The blonde grinned reluctantly and Davie gave me 'you idiot' vibes as I inched closer to Ro. The mentor could harass me later; right now I had more important things on my mind.

"Ro?" I begged softly, needing to hear her voice.

"Yeah," she growled, all grumpy and tense with pain. Just hearing her voice made me feel better and I chose to ignore the nervous woman with the batons. Kneeling beside the only person I had ever loved with all my heart, I tugged Ro's head onto my shoulder and prayed she would be okay. "Don't get all mushy on me, Squeakers."

"Bite me, Boo."

Then the scream of sirens and squawking police washed over us with fear and bright white lights.

Shit.

 

++ Dinah ++

Don't panic!

Oh right, don't panic! That's the freakin' police! And we're the costumed freaks surrounded by unconscious bodies. Oh, the cops will love this…

"Freeze! This is the police! Don't move."

I haven't been paralyzed with fear since that train almost hit me when I was five years old. Every movie and cop show I've ever seen in my life was flashing across my eyes in counterpoint to the blinding searchlights. Barbara's voice was buzzing in my ears and my entire body was icy cold in fear. What do I do!?!

Then a gentle hand gripped my arm from behind and the world went dark.

Not just dark, but total sensory blackout kinda dark. Absolute terror gripped me at the nothingness.

Just as quickly as it happened, the blackness was gone and I was surrounded by nice, normal New Gotham darkness. Whirling, I was just in time to catch the mysterious armored figure with the girlie voice and snappy patter. She was so heavy that I was driven down like someone dropped a load of bricks on me. Smacking my skull into the tarpaper roof, I blinked to clear the spots dancing around my vision. Between the cop's nasty lights and the smackdown move, they were pretty spotty right about now.

"Canary? What the hell is going on?"

"Jeez-us Barbara, quit yelling," I whined through the pounding in my skull.

"Are you alright?"

"Gimmie a second to inventory."

There was a multitude of heavy bodies pinning me very effectively to a roof.

A roof.

A dark, drafty roof.

Where I had been in a drafty and frighteningly bright alleyway just a moment ago.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Where are you?" Barbara coaxed gently, trying not to pressure me.

"I have no idea," I realized quite quickly.

"Okay, don't panic; let me see if I can track down your location." I lay immobile and exhausted beneath my blanket of bodies and decided I'd try and find the energy to panic if one of them decided to stir. No sign of that yet. After months of bad sleep in a fortress of a home that no longer felt safe, training too hard and yet still trying to remain the all-American teen, I was wiped out. "How did you get way over to 5th and Jameson?" Hoping it was a rhetorical question, I remained silent and let Oracle do her magic. "Dinah? You're only a few blocks from the tower; can you make it back here? You said Huntress was hurt and I'm worried about you two."

I really loved it when she used that tone, the soft one that was the best kind of proof that she really cared about me, me and Helena both. Who, now that I really looked around, was crumpled awkwardly beside me as though she had been dropped there. That sight gave me the strength to push at the stone-heavy bodies pinning me. Abruptly, one of them tensed and grabbed my wrist. "Shit, Sticks, we gotta stop meeting like this."

I couldn't help myself; I started laughing.

She levered off me, but I could feel the trembling exhaustion in her muscles and the imprint of armored plates pressing in on my torso. There was some weird stuff going on, but as I watched one armored figure tenderly cradle the wounded one, I had a good feeling about them. "Oracle," I beseeched quietly. "We can't leave them out here to suffer like this. What do we do?"

Okay, that got her attention, the helmet's faceplate swinging abruptly around to me. "Oracle? Shit! We've been trying to track her down for weeks. Tell her the Prophet is looking for her."

"The Prophet?" I parroted half deliberately so that Barbara could get the information and half because I was confused as hell. "Who's the Prophet?"

"Our mentor. Dammit, where are you, Davie? Leo here needs medical attention. So does Huntress, but Sticks here is doing her job and being suspicious of us."

It took a moment to realize that they weren't talking to me, but rather communicating with someone the way I did with Oracle. There was a rip of Velcro and something small and white was tossed at me.

"It's gauze. You better lean on that wound before Huntress bleeds much more," my mysterious companion encouraged me. It was good advice and I pressed the clean dressing to the ugly wound gaping beneath Helena's clavicle. Up close with the cowl's low light goggles helping me, I could see that the collarbone looked quite spectacularly broken. Woo boy… life around the clocktower was gonna suck for awhile. I'd wager a couple of major organs that Helena was a horrible patient. Since she had no patience. The joke was dumb, but it made me snort with perverse humor.

"Canary?" The speaker in my cowl crackled to life. "I do have reference to a metahuman named the Prophet that's worked with some of the underground cells along the east coast, including New Gotham on past occasions, but no mention of sidekicks."

"Okay, now what? One of them has a bullet wound and not only does Huntress have a nasty knife wound, but her collarbone is busted. Hey, tall, dark and sarcastic," I pitched my voice louder and the strange woman looked back at me again. "What's your name?"

There was a pause where I could feel the conflict within her. "Shan," she finally stated quietly and did something I really hadn't expected. She reached up and pulled the helmet off.

"Wow," I couldn't help but breathe in awe. Now, I had seen some weird stuff working with Oracle and Huntress, but Shan was up there on the strangeness chart. Well into the top ten in fact. In the dim light, I could make out her pure white coloring and the arch of long, furry animal ears. She was damn good looking even with the wild critter ears and I smiled. The expression was returned, flashing a hint of canines that were never meant for the human mouth.

"We teleported you here," Shan explained and carefully touched the figure beneath her gloved hands. "The effort's gonna cost her." The heartbreak in her tone made me wince in sympathy. "You two maxed us out."

"Canary," I automatically supplied the name I had adopted the name from the mother I had barely known then lost. Shan cockled her head curiously and looked thoughtful.

"Like Black Canary?"

Well, it wasn't as though I had chosen the name for subtlety. "Yeah, actually. Everybody needs a hero."

Shan nodded. "I've heard the stories about her." There was a strange look on her face, as though she was listening to some distant sound that only she could hear. "Prophet's almost here," she informed me and I began to wonder if this mysterious Prophet was a telepath. Woo boy, that would certainly complicate things…

"We gotta find someplace quiet and clean for Ro to recover. Can you move Huntress on your own?"

"I have no idea," I tried to keep the quaver from my voice, but I was feeling the panic again. Worried moon-pale eyes stared into my soul and I felt the spark of connection with her. I suddenly understood something deep and profound. Sometimes, I was going to be required to take a dangerous and potentially stupid risk and trust a stranger. A memory of Doctor Quinzel flashed across my mind and I winced. Please, let this be different… "But we have a medical facility nearby. C'mon, I'll take you there."

The figure that suddenly joined us was a small woman dressed in a toned-down version of the two teleporters. She yanked the helmet off to reveal a pretty woman of Mediterranean descent. With barely a word, she checked both wounded and bullied me into helping her gather up Huntress' limp body. She was so… light. With that big personality and incredible strength, I expected her to weigh more. Helena's dark hair blended with the black suit that Barbara had passed down to me. It had been a terrifying thrill to inherit the Batgirl suit and modify it to my personality and codename.

Somehow Shan was carrying Ro by only a loose grip on the undamaged arm thrown over her shoulder. My brain couldn't make any sense of it until Prophet gave me a tug and gestured at the ground near my feet with her chin. "Watch the tail." Something had slithered loose from Ro's coat, looking for all the world like a snake wrapped in black neoprene. It certainly hung from her body at the right angle for a tail, but…

Then I realized that Shan must have one too, and that's how she was keeping Ro pressed to her back. Their mystery deepened with every realization. An effortless kick from Shan's heavily booted foot had us in the confines of the filthy and dark building. Whatever it was. There were scattered sounds as we wound our way down what felt like hundreds of flights of stairs. I was feeling dizzy by the time we reached the decrepit lobby. The surrounding neighborhood wasn't much better and some of the scarier denizens of the night slunk back into the shadows as we left the building. How I hated doing this without Helena's moral support…

There was a screech of tires as a big vehicle took the nearby corner a bit fast. My new companions tensed, but I knew who it was. "That's a friend," I said reassuringly. "She'll get these guys patched up." The big Hummer H2 screeched to a halt and I yanked the door open to drag Helena and Prophet in with me. "Hi Barbara, thanks for the ride. This is Shan and the Prophet; the limp one is Ro. Barbara is a teacher at my school and my guardian, so she kinda got dragged into the life, y'know?" It was a lame cover story, but what the hell was I supposed to say? There was no response from Barbara except that shadowy, piercing stare. There was no dome light in the big car, to protect her from prying eyes. Then something shifted and the warmth I had been feeling with Shan cooled. She had paused halfway into the SUV and glanced from Barbara to Prophet to me. A heavily gloved hand reached out to cup my chin and I was shocked and thrilled at the intimate gesture. Especially when her thumb brushed over my lower lip.

"I'll find you again, Pretty Bird," she whispered and withdrew from the car. I was stunned by the rejection and my expression must have shown it, even with the upper half of my face covered. "I want to earn your trust on better terms than this."

Prophet wriggled out from beneath Helena's bulk and slipped from the Hummer to stand beside the tall white woman. There was a sense of relief from Barbara and an expression of regret on Shan's face as the door automatically slid closed.

 

++ Davie ++

It had turned into a hell of a weird night. An uncharacteristically quiet Shan led me back into the shadows to return to our little hideout. Part of her behavior was because of her unconscious twin, but Ro's breathing was normal, as was the background noise in her mind. She'd be weak and pissy, but she'd be fine. I was making a guess that it was Canary that had her so distracted. Ah, gotta love those teenage hormones… even if said hormones were nearly a decade late. They may have been early bloomers by doing the puberty dance when they had been only ten years old, but their emotions didn't match up much of the time. My poor girls…

We said very little as we settled Ro onto her cot and stripped her down to the t-shirt. Shan did the same as I pulled out the transfusion kit and other medical supplies. A couple of careful needle pricks had crimson blood shifting from one body to the other while I cleaned out the bullet hole and stitched it up. "So," I mumbled blandly to Ro's damaged flesh. "Care to tell me what all that was about? She seemed to be willing to trust you."

Shan snorted at me, the familiar sound of sarcasm still sounding like a dog after all this time. "I dunno," she finally hedged in a hesitant voice that really wasn't like her. She was always so bold, unless she had to deal with strangers, so I suppose I really wasn't surprised. Looking the way they did, the twins got very little chance to interact with people. "I think her guardian was a bit… nervous."

"Actually, she was wary. I managed to sneak a peek while she was concentrating on you. She seemed unfazed by the ears, but was tweaked about the idea of taking us home."

"Territorial?"

No joke from her? Huh, she must be more unnerved than I had thought. "Probably. Don't quote me, but I'd hazard a guess that we just met the famous Oracle."

"Seriously?"

"As far as my contacts know, Oracle worked with only Huntress until recently. So, Canary was probably the new kid and I doubt they have much, if any, support staff, so to speak. Superheroes rarely do."

"I get it. We know Oracle is a woman and the brains behind the brawn. So it was a good chance the mystery driver was her." Finally, Shan flashed me her trademark toothy grin and I was relieved to see it. "Maybe we should have gone with them."

Ro grumbled and twitched as I taped gauze over the entry and exit wounds. "That bullet must have been traveling incredibly fast to punch through her armor on both sides."

"They were trying to kill Huntress," Ro suddenly mumbled and Shan leaned down to affectionately rub their cheeks and noses together. "They would have done it too. And someone made a damn good shot to the weakest point in this armor."

"Or just a lucky guess," I added in and gave the unfocused violet gaze my best grin. "Armor's always weakest at shoulders and hips for freedom of movement. The jacket protects your hips in layers. We'll need to see if we can come up with some kind of shoulder pad or something."

Both girls groaned and I was sympathetic. The suits were already bulky and heavy, exhausting to carry and even more so to teleport.

"By the way," I began softly and they both perked up at the tone. "I'm proud of both of you. Not only did you save the life of a respected superhero tonight, you pulled off an amazing teleport. Four bodies with a bullet wound? That's amazing. And Shan? You were awesome with Canary. That could have gotten a hell of a lot more confrontational and downright ugly."

There was a pause before they smiled in absolute delight at me. This was one of things I loved in the sisters. They were unabashed and unrestrained in their emotions around the few people they trusted implicitly. I was one of those chosen few. They had so much to offer the world around them and I hated that people would only see the fur and tails. People would see only the freakish differences and not the beautiful souls underneath. Carefully removing the transfusion needles, I packed away my supplies and ruffled both of their white heads.

"Sleep now, I'll keep watch."

 

++ Barbara ++

"I'd ask what the hell you were thinking, but," I began and my train of thought derailed. Dinah looked unnerved and more than a little stubborn. It was rare if ever that she glowered at me like that.

"Don't you think I don't know that I was out of line? I made a judgment call, isn't that what you've been pressuring me to do for months?"

We lapsed into an uncomfortable silence as we stripped Helena's shirt and cleaned up the nasty wound. It was deep and ugly, but quite clean. A few pints of whole blood, a few stitches and a couple of days of rest would set her right. Except the twisted and purpled bone under her skin that was going to cripple her for far longer. An x-ray showed two snaps in the clavicle and some research confirmed that there was very little I could do about it. All I could do really was bandage her up like a mummy and hope that she might actually listen to me once she was awake. Keeping the Huntress still was like caging a wild animal. With that done, I knew I had to talk to Dinah. My feelings were too involved here, my terror at yet someone else in my immediate territory. But I also wanted her to make her own decisions and couldn't freak out on her every time she did.

She was on the deck in front of the clock face, staring at the rising dawn over the smoggy skyscrapers. It was still odd to see the familiar lines of my old costume clinging to her very different curves. Sure, she'd removed all the yellow and replaced the bat with a bird shape, but I still remembered the suit intimately. The cowl was bunched up at the back of her head, the goggles bugging out oddly. The plexi-compound half-rounds with their implanted low-light capabilities had been a brilliant modification. All the other stuff we'd since added was even better.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "You didn't do anything wrong."

That earned me a dirty look from the corner of blue eyes. "Well I sure as hell didn't do anything right."

Okay, I deserved that. "Dinah, our identities…"

"Aren't as secret as we'd like them to be and you know it. Barbara, they weren't any more of a normal human than I am. You didn't see Shan."

"See her?"

"She's got long ears and fur and a tail. Seriously. And they can teleport. Ro threw herself in front of hundreds of bullets to save Helena's life. If they're trying to earn our trust just to hurt us, there's got to be a hell of a lot less painful ways to do it."

"You're right. I'm sorry. It's just…"

Wade's ghost clung to this place like a tangible entity. The memory of Harley's treachery was in every shadow and hidden corner of the clocktower. Sighing in frustration, Dinah raked her fingers through her hair and stepped over to me. The heavy leather glove looked so strange on her delicate hand. In the confines of that suit, she was no seventeen-year-old girl trying to get through life. It transformed her as certainly as it had me once. It both thrilled and terrified me, that change.

"I'll go back that roof tomorrow and hope Shan is there. She said she wanted to earn my trust, and I'd like to give her that chance."

Swallowing my fear, I forced myself to meet her too-old eyes and nodded.

 

++ Dinah ++

Easy for me to say.

I had been unnerved enough by the evening to stand up to Barbara in ways that I never had before. It was a turning point and we both knew it. I wasn't the new kid to her anymore, but had earned my place in the team. Helena had woken up briefly in the evening; I had heard Barbara talking tenderly to her. I was napping before sweeps because I was wiped out from yet another sleepless night and the groggy complaints had woken me. Barbara had reassured the stupid-on-painkillers Helena that she was fine, I was fine, that everybody was fine. She had said that she was proud of me and that Helena should be too. There was nothing but a drunken snort in response, but I doubt that Helena really heard anything she was saying anyway and chose to bask in the warm fuzzies of Barbara's complete acceptance.

Once night was growing ripe, Barbara had briefed me on the day's events according to the police and sent me off with a calm 'good luck'. After checking on the sites of a couple of robberies, I returned to the roof at the corner of 5th and Jameson. In fact, I'd been sitting there brooding long enough to grow cold, sleepy and a bit annoyed. Why the hell was I here anyway?

Then a flicker if movement caught my eye and I froze. For a breathless moment, I wondered if I'd imagined it, and then a familiar shape melted from the shadows. She moved like a cat, every movement sleek and deliberate. "You can come out," Shan spoke clearly into the night, the helmet tilted up at my perch. "I don't bite. Unless asked nicely."

"Just admiring the view," I sassed back and flushed in embarrassment. I had been hanging out with the cat-in-heat Huntress far too long. But Shan just reached up and pulled the helmet off to grin at me.

"What's to admire?"

"Oh please," I snorted at her question. "You move like a damn cat. You and Huntress both make me look like a clumsy oaf."

"I saw you move yesterday and you were suitably scary. Seriously. It's not just the outfit, though it helps."

I chuckled and jumped down from my high perch. There was more moonlight out tonight and I took a crazy chance by pushing the cowl back and letting it fall away from my face.

"Hi, Pretty Bird," Shan purred as I looked way up into her shadowed eyes. Not just kinda purred like some people could, but really had that low rumble beneath her words that sounded like the kitties I had always had as a girl. It sounded really amazing twining around words like a harmony. "I was hoping you'd come back here. Sorry to run out on you like that, but Oracle didn't seem real happy with us being there."

"We don't get a lot of helping hands in this business."

"Yeah, I know how that is," Shan quietly agreed and we fell into a kind of awkward silence. It felt just like being around my newest crush at school. Not wanting to explore that train of thought too closely, I spoke up without thinking.

"Do you want to join me on patrol tonight?" She looked as shocked as I felt at the offer. "I don't really like flying solo," I admitted and earned that heart-stopping grin. God, Gabby would be so jealous… if I could tell her about my other life, which, of course I couldn't. Even if I just knew my pal would be cool with all the weirdness, because she was so matter-of-fact about everything.

There was a chuckle in my ear. "Sounds kinky."

For a moment I didn't get it, but watched Shan's grin deepen and embarrassment dance over her features. "Oracle, you're nasty," she sassed my distant mentor. "I like that in a Jiminy Cricket." There was a splutter of surprised laughter and I couldn't help but smile even if I was mortified. "Canary," Shan reassured me, putting a gentle hand on my upper arm. "You don't even want to know what Prophet said."

That made me laugh in harmony with Barbara.

 

++ Shan ++

The girl might not have the inborn physical abilities I had, but she could move. I still didn't believe her statement that she'd only had the suit and the toys for a few months. She moved like the whole ensemble was a part of her. When I'd made a comment, Canary had only grinned and said it was Huntress' fault. The bantering stopped when she stiffened suddenly, but the wind sucked away Oracle's voice from my ears.

"Burglary," Canary said in a clipped tone even as she leaped to the next building and I scrambled to keep up. A crime to bust up would distract both of us from the gulf of the unknown between us. Ah, how I adored the look of shock on the face of the scum when they were faced by two menacing figures in black leather. I still missed the double dose that Ro and I made, but Canary was a great substitute.

"What the hell," one of the punks muttered and the gun in his hand began to move in our direction. Only to go flying when the flash of a thrown silver disk nearly took his hand off.

"What's the matter?" Canary sassed them sweetly. "Didn't your mommies ever teach you to play nice?"

Okay, it was a lame line, but it succeeded in getting the punks to move. Two of them were airborne from whatever blue-tinged power the girl could throw even as I snarled and leapt at three more with the force of a hungry cougar. Some old fashioned head-busting was a great way to bond to my new pal. "Stay down," I growled and kicked one for good measure before punching his buddy unconscious and letting the tail home-run another one right over the counter a dozen feet away. Something was probably broken from that last hit. Ooops. Someone shrieked in terror and caught my attention. "Damn. Canary! There must be an employee in the back!"

The girl was good and elbowed one more goon in the mouth as she rushed to my side. "What now?"

"The direct approach?" I teased suggestively and she grinned toothily.

"Go for it."

That made me laugh as I dropped to all fours and leapt into the dark backroom in one move. Canary was right on my heels, faking left while I went right. There was a curse; a flash of gunfire and something thudded into my helmet, rocking my skull back. Bastard had gotten in a lucky shot, but Canary repaid him for me by doubling him over with a full-body kick that had him retching onto the tacky linoleum.

" _She's frisky_ ," Davie chuckled lightly as she tracked the fight through my eyes.

"Damn skippy," I supplied in a rather more suggestive tone than I'd meant to and flushed.

"Are you okay?" Canary was asking the frantic employee while I shook off the stars from the impact to my head and stepped back into the main room. The two terrified patrons had bailed out, and I unceremoniously dragged the eight thugs into a pile. If one so much as moaned, he was thumped unconscious by the ever-helpful Slinky attached to my butt. Gotta love having a tail. Monkeys had nothing on me.

There was a sudden flash of lights in the storefront windows. "Shan! We gotta go!"

In an instant, I was obeying Canary's yell and was hot on her heels out the fire door in the back. I grabbed her as we were swallowed up by the night and tossed her at the rickety fire escape balcony above. There was a girlie squeak of protest, but she gamely recovered and pulled herself over the railing before turning to make sure I'd made it up. We nearly cracked foreheads we were suddenly so close. Good thing I was in a full helmet and facemask, or she would have seen how embarrassed I was. "Up," I croaked and ignored Davie's amusement. Two uniforms crashed into the alley just as we tumbled over one another onto the roof. It was hard to stifle the giggles threatening to escape, but Canary smacked me on the arm and we slunk off into the night.

Far from the crime scene, Canary abruptly halted and doubled over. I worried for a moment until she straightened up with an explosion of laughter that rocked me back on my heels. We laughed and laughed until we were both sitting on the cold roof with tears rolling down our faces. Both helmet and cowl were lying by our feet, staring back like separate entities. Which, in a very real way, they were. The thought finally sobered me up enough to catch my breath and take stock of my surroundings. "God," Canary hiccupped and scrubbed her face with gloved hands. "That was the most fun I've had in weeks, months, maybe ever. I've never been in charge before."

"You know the city better than I do."

"Still, you let me…" she trailed off, her expression a cute combination of happy and bewildered.

"What? Be in charge? No problem, I'm used to it. I've seen the boss' job and I don't want it. I don't really enjoy fighting anyway, tonight the exception of course, because it's too hard controlling too many animal instincts."

She nodded sagely and leaned heavily against me, giving my arm a squeeze. "Yeah, I think Huntress is like that a lot too. You guys would like each other."

"Cool," was all I could think to say as we lapsed into a peaceful quiet.

 

++ Barbara ++

It had been surprisingly enjoyable listening to Dinah banter with the stranger she had tried to describe to me earlier. Dinah yawned hugely and the sound echoed softly around the clocktower. "Why do you call the Prophet, Splinter?"

I had been wondering the same thing and listened to Shan chuckle. The sound was very close to Dinah's microphone and I could hear an odd purring quality to the sound. "It's this silly cartoon she loves called the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that's almost as old as she is." After a pause, she chuckled again. "And now she's bitching me out. Hates being teased about her age, you understand."

Now I remembered why the name seemed vaguely familiar.

"Right. What kinda silly name is that for a cartoon?"

"Cartoon, comic, movies, the whole enchilada. They're really fun. There's this ninja teacher who's a giant rat that gets these four turtles that are almost human and teaches them. I'm Michelangelo and Ro is Leonardo. Davie is Splinter."

"They're named after Renaissance artists? And the Prophet is Davie?"

"Yes and yes."

"And you're Shan or Michelangelo."

"Or Mikey, that's what the boss lady calls me."

"'Kay. And Ro is Leo?"

"Right again."

I was listening and remembering watching said silly cartoon as a kid. "Great show," I murmured softly and heard Dinah make an almost startled sound.

"Hi Oracle," Shan beseeched softly and I could almost picture a sheepish little wave. "How's Huntress?"

As though conjured up by the question, said Huntress appeared at the railing upstairs wearing only a bathrobe and a grimace. It was a relief to see her up. "Awake and scowling."

"Oh? I'll stay out here where it's safe then."

Dinah snickered and yawned again. "You sound tired, kid," Helena grumbled and flashed me a curious glance. "Who's your friend?"

"Shan, meet Huntress. Good to hear you up and cranky."

"Feels like I've been stabbed and broken. Go figure," Helena snorted in mockingly irritation and her voice gentled. "Hey Shan, I hear that I owe you for a serious lack of bullet holes."

"My sister," Shan corrected softly and the pain in her voice was obvious. "She's got that overdeveloped sense of duty thing going and really wanted to meet you."

Helena smirked. "There's easier ways to impress a girl."

Shan's delighted chuckle filled the clocktower. "Than taking a bullet or two? I can't think of a one."

We all cackled over that one, until Helena hissed in pain and leaned heavily against my chair. "Okay, no more comedy," she hissed and coughed. It doubled her over in agony as the broken collarbone was jostled.

"Hel!" I barked in alarm as she began to collapse half across the chair. "Dammit. Canary, I think you'd better call it a night."

"Need a hand?"

Yep, Shan had indeed asked me that and memories cascaded through me. First Darkstrike had turned out to be a metamorph and became his own worst enemy, then Harleen Quinzel had turned out to be Harley Quinn and poor Wade had died only feet from where my wheelchair now sat. Even now his innocent blood wracked me with guilt. I was almost perversely glad for Helena's weakness to distract me. She was hissing in pain, having jostled her wounded body to near-unconsciousness.

"My sister has some technology that can help heal that bone up fast."

"Technology?" I questioned even as I scrounged in the little sack tied to the wheelchair. "What kind of technology?"

"Can I trust you?"

It was a loaded question.

But Dinah trusted her and I trusted my protégée's judgment. Even with the whole Harley/Helena debacle, I still trusted. "I'll see the whole gang of you ASAP."

"Yes ma'am," they chorused in stereo.

Between Dinah's thumbs-up and the research I'd done into the wandering metahuman known as the Prophet, I was mostly prepared to have complete strangers in the clocktower. Helena didn't even notice the prick of the hypodermic needle in her strong tricep, but relaxed as the morphine swamped over the obvious pain. "C'mere," I encouraged her gently to climb into my lap. I had no idea what else to do with her. Alfred was out for the night and there was no way I could move Helena without aggravating her injuries. So I would wait for our new pals to help out. Helena snuggled into my body heat, growing limp and heavy with drugs and sleep. It was rare I had a chance to enjoy her like this, soft and calm and relaxed. Stroking her soft hair, I decided that New Gotham would have to care for itself tonight. My family needed me.


	2. Dance Into the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More about Davie and the twins is revealed as nemesis come together to make a larger threat.

++ Davie ++

I was shocked that Shan had managed to charm herself an invite to Oracle's lair. On the other hand, that flirt was just the woman for the job. So I prodded Ro into wakefulness. She came around with an instant-alert jerk that made her hiss in agony and clutch her right shoulder. "Down Frisky," I soothed her softly and put both hands on her arm. "Your sib managed to wrangle an invite to go meet the famous Oracle."

"Should we bring flowers?" Ro groaned as I helped her sit up.

"Nope, just the miracle fleas."

"Ah damn, she didn't."

"'Fraid so."

"There aren't enough of the little bastards right now."

"I know, but let's see what Canary says."

Ro scowled at her sister's antics, but gamely let me give her an injection of heavy-duty painkillers so that she could climb to her feet and help me gather our gear. A scuffle of sound heralded the arrival of the rest of the party and we turned to face them. Canary was hoodless, and her pretty blonde features were clearer in this better light. She blinked in astonishment at Ro, who was in jeans, a tank top, boots and a sling. "Wow," she breathed in awe. "You two are sisters all right."

"Identical," Ro supplied gruffly and glared at her twin, who grinned triumphantly. "You know the fleas aren't ready for something like healing a double break."

Shan's face crumpled and her disappointment was tangible. "Damn. I forgot."

Ro sighed heavily and crooked a finger at Canary, who stepped over trustingly. She was utterly unfazed by the ever-tactile sisters and the way they would constantly touch people in their immediate vicinity. The more introverted Ro noticed the fearlessness and smiled softly. "Oracle? The nanites are in the process of replicating up to useful levels right now. They won't be helpful to Huntress I'm afraid." I couldn't hear squat, but Ro one-shoulder shrugged in response to whatever she heard Oracle say. "Yes. They're useful, but very limited. I can have them do some repair, but it'll set my timetable back a couple of months. I'm sorry to get your hopes up." Then both twins looked mildly surprised and Canary triumphant.

"So," I interjected dryly. "I take it the date is still on?"

Sticking to dark alleys and streets that saw little traffic in the night, we moved across New Gotham until Canary halted suddenly at a towering building. From here, there was nothing that made it stand out from every other damn office building we had passed in the last hour. Poor Ro was looking tired, wan and pained from the hike and I was concerned. Whatever had blown that hole in her shoulder had left an ugly and painful wound from back to front and it was still hurting her. Shan looked upset enough to cry and hovered well within her twin's personal space. Canary just watched us quietly, still gamely hauling the heavy pack Ro usually carried. Both twins looked up the face of the building, obviously aware of where they were. But, then again, they were always aware of where they were. "The clocktower?" Shan queried and Canary stepped into a hidden alcove with a grin.

"Hiding in plain sight is quite effective," the blonde said and we followed her into an alcove. The wall slid open along a seam that was unnoticeable at first glance to reveal gleaming steel doors. As Canary dropped her hand, I realized that she had punched something into a keypad off to the side and the comfortable elevator opened silently. "C'mon."

"Cool," Ro said softly and carefully maneuvered her weary body in. There wasn't a hell of a lot of space with four bodies and our gear. Reaching out with my telepathic abilities, I 'felt' through the building and came up empty. Except way up at the top. It went against my nature to pry, so I waited for the pieces of the puzzle to come to me in the old fashioned way. That's why Canary's name was still her own business and not ours. Though it felt weird to trust her like this without even a name, such were the personalities of the metahumans that lived in the shadows of humanity. It wasn't as though I had volunteered mine. Shan caught Ro as the latter suddenly stumbled.

"Just a little further, Boo," she encouraged urgently and Ro nodded wearily. The desperate look she fired us shorter girls broke my heart. I hated it when one of them was hurt, and the other had to suffer along. Thank the Almighty it rarely happened. On cue, the doors slid back and Canary backed out, watching the twins closely.

"Welcome to the clocktower. God, Ro, come sit down."

Then we became aware of an intense stare and I felt the twin's reaction even as my own rose up. The first thing one noticed about Oracle was the way she was a part of her lair, like a spider in the center of her web. Master of her domain, she was a striking woman with flaming red hair and classic features. A dark-haired woman the twin's memories confirmed as Huntress was curled up in Oracle's lap like a sleeping baby. That piercing green gaze left a soul feeling naked and exposed. It was intimidating and oddly intimate. The woman must be a hell of a motivator. She quirked a small grin at us, the gesture a bit nervous but gamely trying to be cool about us being here. Then, and only then, did I realize that her fancy sci-fi chair had wheels.

 

++ Barbara ++

Whatever I had expected, the twins still shocked me. Now, I knew that Metahumans came in all shapes and sizes, but they were truly unique. Beautiful in a feral and furry kind of way, one was hunched up in discomfort and I knew my curiosity would have to wait. "I'm Oracle," I said needlessly and the three women looked at me with utter attention. "You were looking for me?"

The short woman opened her mouth to speak, but the wounded twin beat her to it, stepping forward to the dismay of her other half. "Oracle," she murmured and was suddenly looming over me, only to kneel less awkwardly than I would have thought in her condition. "There's a madwoman in your town."

"Isn't there always?" I hadn't meant to sound so bitter and she blinked blankly. Oh wow, she had nictitating membranes like a cat… my sudden grin was returned and I had a feeling I could really like this woman. "That came out more rudely than I meant. I'm not used to… company." That fanged smile was endearing. Up close like this, I could see that the woman was as indeed as pure white as she first appeared. She was albino; the eyes a shade of violet that was almost the expected pink, the nearly colorless irises unnaturally huge in her delicately featured face. Faint, soft fur dusted over her skin, growing thicker near her hairline. Heavy swaths of the stuff traced down her jugular to vanish into the open 'v' of her flannel shirt. "You need to rest. Your friends can tell me about whatever threat is here." Again Ro blinked at me as though her brain was half a step behind and she suddenly looked down. The undamaged left arm raised up to place a pale, lightly furred hand on Helena's forehead. She tenderly ruffled the dark bangs back and I was struck by the sweetness of the gesture.

"Is she okay?"

"She will be," I reassured Ro, struck by the desperation in the question. "Thanks to you." I punctuated the statement by drawing a finger down the neat sling holding her right arm stable. Shan was suddenly behind her sister, helping her stand up.

"C'mon, Boo, lemme give Oracle here a hand." A brighter, more enthusiastic version of that toothy smile was flashed at me and Shan leaned over me. "I've got her," she murmured softly and wriggled her arms under Helena's limp body. With effortless grace, my partner was lifted away and cradled with easy strength and utter gentleness. I realized that the tail was cradling Helena's head and upper shoulders so the broken collarbone was less likely to be jostled.

"Prehensile?" I asked without thinking and Shan grinned suggestively. In response, the furry white rope I hadn't noticed on Ro twitched where it was lazily coiled on the floor. The tip rose up like a cobra to wave lazily at me as though saying hello. Shan stepped off of the Delphi dais and her voice carried across the room.

"C'mon, Pretty Bird, lead the way."

I moved the chair to follow and noticed that Ro had only stood aside to let me pass. Her gaze was piercing and frankly curious. Feeling pleased and self-conscious at the appraisal, I gave her a questioning eyebrow. "What?" Ro only one armed shrugged and ducked her eyes away as though suddenly shy. "You should sit. Bullet holes are nothing to be stoic about." The comment made me wince as the memories of my own bullet wounds washed through my mind. I wasn't about to share that one with a complete stranger and Ro thankfully moved off to sink gratefully onto the big couch.

There was a murmuring of voices that grew only slightly louder as the rest of the women came back into the main room. "Helena's laid out, nice and comfy," Dinah enthused and I winced at the use of the real name. Shan caught the expression and stepped over to me and pulling her right glove off. I accepted the offer of the handshake and looked up her long frame. "Killashandra Jones and my identical twin, Rowan. This is Sister Mary David of the Greek Orthodox Church. Pleased to meet you, Oracle."

I knew that she had given me her real name, I could sense the truth of it, and I knew I really should return the favor. Gripping her hand firmly, I smiled openly and noted that she visibly relaxed at the expression. "Barbara Gordon. You've already met Dinah Redmond." Shan grinned warmly at me and glanced over her shoulder at the suddenly shy Dinah, who was nervously tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. I still had to wonder if the girl would take her mother's name and find some kind of closure. I still missed Carolyn myself. Shaking the melancholy off, I gestured to the couch. "Take a seat and tell me about what brought you to New Gotham."

Immediately, Shan stripped off her heavy armored trench coat and the other glove before plopping down beside her sister and tugging at her to lie down. In moments, a weary Rowan was sprawled out on her back with her head in Shan's lap. Then Sister Mary David spoke up. "These two are being hunted by a group of mad scientists and we've gotten wind that the worst of the lot is here in New Gotham."

Dinah beat me to the slightly sarcastic, "mad scientists?"

"Sister," I began and she waved me down with a sigh.

"Call me Davie, please. The title doesn't fit well any more."

"Okay, Davie. What makes you believe that whoever it is that's looking for you is here?"

She smiled humorlessly and ran gloved fingers through her short, wild curls. "I don't tell the story as well as Ro does."

"Sure ya do," Ro murmured softly and made her sister and Dinah chuckle.

"Flatterer. All right, I'll try. Ro and Shan here are purebred metahuman, but they're even more than that. There's a man named Sevarius Smith who…"

It was a flashfire of realization and I cut Davie off. "My God, you two are the South Fork White Devils."

Shan was shocked and impressed. Ro was all that and wary too when she craned her head to stare at me. It was a striking picture, illustrating just how much they looked alike.

"White devils?" Dinah asked tentatively and Shan sighed and shifted her attention to the teen.

"In a nutshell, there's this mad scientist named Smith that decided he wanted to play God or Doctor Moreau, and starting splicing human and animal DNA. Me and Ro here are the results of ten years of his work. He found out that Metahuman DNA worked better, since it's already in the process of change, and he wasn't expecting us to suddenly learn to teleport." Her wild grin made the rest of us smile back. "So we escaped when we were ten and ran wild until we ended up in this isolated little town in western Canada called South Fork." Her expression was wistful now as the memories turned fond. "The schoolteacher there found us and taught us how to be people and not lab animals. Eventually, Smith's people tracked us down, but Davie here got to us first. We've been sidekicking ever since."

Silence hung over the room as we processed all that. "There's more obviously," Ro murmured. "But that's the basics. The cover story of why Smith's people came down on South Fork so hard was that there were dangerous animals in the forest that needed to be captured and destroyed. That would be us." Shan gave a funny little 'hello' wave. "They're still looking for us. His top henchwoman is a scientist named Julia Blackwell." The venom in her tone was duly noted by my brain and filed away. "She's here in New Gotham. Someone was looking for some brainy muscle to get their freedom and rebuild an empire here."

Dinah snorted, "that's half of Arkham Asylum."

"Yeah, but the information only disseminated out within the last six months."

Uh oh.

 

++ Helena ++

There were times that I really didn't understand my animal instincts. That wild, untamed part of me that roared to the forefront when I became the Huntress. It was a thrill, but it was a bit terrifying too. Years ago, I remembered looking into my mother's eyes and sensing that there was more to her than even I could see. Now, I knew what that feral spark was. It was the part of her that belonged to the cats, the slinky, four-legged predators that were so much a part of humanity, yet so very aloof from it. They had always fascinated and scared me, with their knowing eyes and fickle affections. I felt those same urges, the need to toy with my prey before moving in for the kill, even if the kill was proverbial for me. I understood the need to be aloof and I understood the need to roll over and purr. And I understood the need to curl into the warm, safe body sprawled half beside and half on top of me. The inner feline purred happily at the soft fur warming my nose and the twitch of a sensitive ear in response to my breath. This was heaven, even with the pain still radiating from my shoulder.

Cats will often purr and cuddle when in distress, the need for safety and contact outweighing everything else. I knew this, but I also felt it, right down to my bones. So, there was no immediate issue with rubbing my nose into my companion's fur, breathing in the soft, comforting scent of her. The nose buried near my ear twitched and she gave a growly yawn that nuzzled her more closely to my warm skin. A hand twitched against my damaged arm, a caress that made me mumble incoherently.

For someone accustomed to waking up in a heartbeat, this lazy process kinda sucked. Though I could see how it was certainly more relaxing. Except that I was still a bit confused by the hard yet cushy body draped all over me and the soft breathing against my cheek. Actually, I felt pretty damn good. Where was I? As memories of falling asleep in Barbara's lap bubbled up from my hazy brain, I let my acute sense of smell draw my nose over to investigate the intoxicating scent surrounding me.

Musky and predatory, with a clean tang to mellow it, like expensive wine, her smell was like freakin' catnip. It mixed with the memories of Barbara and the woman's faint scent in the room. Soft silky threads brushed over my face as I burrowed in to breathe heavily against warm skin. A moan bubbled up, completely out of my control, as the upper brain started arguing with the lusty lizard brain. My tongue snaked out to taste the light sweat caught in the silky hair, drawing the flavor across sensitive taste buds. Growling with pleasure, I grabbed some of the strands in my teeth to suck at them aggressively. The body sprawled over me jerked awake with a snarl and my own inner beast came fully to life. The change swept over me like an adrenaline rush, firing my nervous system up and morphing my eyes where they lay hidden behind my lids. I managed to get in a quick nip at an oddly shaped ear before my prey recoiled with a sharp, feral sound like a yip. Pain flared up dully and something thumped across my nose hard enough to get my lazy ass eyes to try and open. The brush of a soft mouth gave me something else to nip at, playful and not at all threatening. The gentle curve of a lip pulled away from strong teeth that was caught by mine and worried at while my half-mast vision tried to clear. It was like swimming through honey, trying to get the playful kitten brain, the predator and the logical woman to get on the same page. The almost kisses with my bedmate weren't helping any. That low growl made me a little crazy where it echoed into my mouth.

She wasn't certain how to respond to the pressure of my mouth, teeth still half bared, but the annoyed growls were silent now. In those last twilight moments of feral madness, I forced my lazy body to curl into her heat and really taste her. Lips soft and compliant, she let me share breath with her, mouths intertwined. When I tentatively ran my tongue along her teeth, it was a thrill to feel the elongated canines that caught at my tongue piercing. Then the screaming pain registered when I tried to touch her silky hair and reality came crashing in. Jerking my head back, I could imagine that her surprised and dazed expression matched my own.

"Ummm… hi," I stammered like an utter idiot. When the white woman blinked back like a deer in headlights, I saw a nictitating membrane slide over her eyes in concert with her eyelids. Hell of a time to start noticing details! Vague memories of Dinah telling me about her new playmates paraded across my fuzzy brain. "I don't think we've been formally introduced. I'm…" A gentle touch on my bottom lip utterly derailed my already shaky train of thought. I stared at the strange rose-violet eyes as they followed the rough-soft pad of the thumb tracing the shape of my mouth.

"Helena," she whispered like a dream lover and a sharp shiver rushed across my nerves. The predator within recognized her as an equal… as someone who knew exactly what I was. It was a profound shock of recognition and connection. "Rowan." It was said so softly that I wouldn't have heard it without the Meta senses. There was an odd purring quality to her speech that thrilled me. This was insane, but I couldn't seem to make the inner beast believe that.

"Rowan," I breathed softly just for the pleasure of tasting the word. A shy smile flickered across her features and I grinned back. Then I noticed the heavy bandages wrapped around her shoulder and realized something with profound shock. "You… you're the one that saved my life. Di told me…"

Again she stroked my lower lip, her expression almost sad. "I'd been watching you in such pain for days before they attacked you. I wasn't going to let you die. This bullet hole is scant payment for your life."

I was speechless with shock and thankfulness. I understood the drive behind self-sacrifice, I really did, but no stranger had ever risked their life for me before. My good arm, trapped beneath her larger body, stroked over her baby-fine hair while my eyes traced over the details of my new companion. There was ivory fuzz dusted over the curve of her jaw near her ears and thicker over her jugulars. Wispy white hair grew short and wild over her head like rabbit fur and elongated pointed ears poked through it. Her eyes were the palest violet I'd ever seen, almost colorless, as she stared back at me with unabashed curiosity. Then one of her ears twitched minutely, the movement so catlike that I actually giggled.

Dammit, Barbara must have given me more drugs or I would have never made that undignified sound, but it certainly made the stranger smile. Snorting in half-hearted annoyance at the drunken lethargy, I watched Rowan's smile deepen, flashing white teeth. "Helena? We should call for the others, but…" She snuggled back into my body and I was utterly delighted with the lithe move. "I can't find the energy." There was a long, comfortable quiet while I continued to pet her silky hair. "Barbara and Dinah will be relieved to see that you're feeling better."

That finally made my smart, human brain get a clue and try to fight its way free of the drugs in my system. I was acting more than a little silly over a complete stranger. Defensiveness swirled with the fascination and Rowan stiffened in response. So astute, so sensitive to subtleties that no one could ever read on me… no wonder I was so instantly smitten.

"Yeah," I mumbled stupidly but made no move whatsoever. My left arm was tingling where it was trapped under her limp body. "This is the last time I let you sleep on top," I groused good-naturedly and chuckled, despite the conflicting sensations and images running through me. Once more she melted into a boneless blanket and I was delighted with the show of trust. I was barely surprised to notice a thick length of furry rope twitch into a lazy curl halfway down the bed. After the teeth and ears, the tail seemed totally appropriate on her.

"Fair enough," Rowan agreed lazily.

A comfy quiet that I was learning to enjoy settled over the room that I suddenly realized was Barbara's. Comforted by her loving presence around me, I let darkness close in again.

 

++ Barbara ++

It had seemed only reasonable to put both wounded women in my big bed to sleep. Dinah had graciously offered her bed to me and the rest of them had curled up in the living area on couch and chairs and floor. I had expected Helena and Rowan to shift around in their sleep, but this was… this was… captivating.

Like a pile of sleepy kittens, the two women were sprawled in utter tangled unselfconsciousness. It was possibly the sweetest and most sensual sight I had ever witnessed. Helena with her nose buried in Ro's white hair, the bigger woman's hand curled over her bedmate's heart, their limbs tangled together. Warm sunlight filtered through the thin curtains to paint the whole picture soft and accessible.

Time vanished as I stared at the sexy tableau until my eyes were dry and blurry. Only someone thumping roughly into the back of my wheelchair finally snapped me out of it. "Whoa," Dinah breathed only inches from my ear and I silently agreed. A low chuckle from behind me let me know that the girl wasn't alone.

"Boo always was the snuggly sort," Shan chuckled and gave my shoulder a squeeze as she bonelessly slipped past me. Standing over the bed, she grinned in that 'sibling contemplating doing something mean' kind of way and raked her hand through her short hair. "Man, I'd give my tail to jump on this bed right now." Dinah snorted a giggle into my ear and 'mmhmm'ed in agreement. The sound was more than a little suggestive and I had to remind myself that she'd be a legal adult soon enough and wouldn't that be strange…

Rather than startle the wounded twosome, Shan leaned over her sibling and rubbed her nose into the hair at her sister's temple. Ro rumbled like a lioness and shifted sleepily. The movements were so like a lazy predator that it was almost eerie. Immediately, Helena began to wake, seemingly a bit startled by Shan's proximity.

"Good morning, Huntress," Shan purred oh-so-softly and Helena yawned hugely. Then her cute nose wrinkled up and she suddenly whined plaintively.

"God, I gotta pee."

"Let me give you a hand up. Or in my case, a tail," Shan smirked and helped her sister carefully roll onto her back so that Helena could painfully sit up. How I hated to watch her in such agony, every little movement pulling at the bone shattered inside of her chest. It did give me a chance to see how handy those tails really were… as Shan looped the appendage under Helena's butt to get her upright without tugging at her arms. "You okay?"

"Yeah sure," Helena breathed heavily. "Peachy. I think you might be goosing me."

"Me?" Shan protested in all mock innocence and the tail tightened its grip around Helena's hips. "Perish the thought. Bathroom I believe was your request?"

"Get me the medical kit," I told my younger crime fighter and she was gone in a flash.

"Need a hand getting naked?" Shan asked calmly and earned an odd look from the woman she was half-carrying. The snorting laugh made Helena wince and she clutched at her self-appointed nursemaid, which made it even worse. "Easy Helena, easy. Take a deep breath. That's it."

It calmed her enough so that I could draw a vial of the clear liquid into a syringe and inject the drug into the muscle closest to the break. Almost immediately, Helena began to relax and we all released our collectively held breath. Helena cocked her head curiously up at Shan. "Either this is really good shit, or I'm seeing double."

"We're identical twins. Even if we don't look quite identical."

"Really? Sweet."

"Huntress?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you need a hand doing your business?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, that'd be great."

"C'mon then."

I wasn't certain how I was feeling in that moment. Relieved at the help from these strangers and jealous as hell at their easiness around the normally volatile Helena, not to mention pleased and baffled and threatened at their bonding to Dinah as well.

"Oracle," Ro groaned as though sensing my train of thought. I spent another long moment staring at the bathroom door before looking over at her. In the hazy sunlight, she looked like some kind of science fiction angel and the whimsical thought perversely amused me. "Would you like to meet the nanites?" Okay, that got my attention very efficiently.

"Yes, actually." Watching Rowan stand up made me wince in sympathy. A lower-body stretch only alleviated a bit of her discomfort. "Need some?" I offered and waved the vial in her direction. It earned me a shyer version of Shan's engaging grin as she came to me. I was beginning to see the distinct differences between the twins, besides Ro's slightly larger, heavier build. Ro's nostrils flared as though she was testing the air and she fired me a quizzical glance.

"Morphine?"

Only then did I realize that she could smell what was in the tiny vial. I had no idea their animal senses were that good…

"She only gets it for a few days, and then I have to listen to the complaining."

Okay, that comment earned me a big, toothy smile and I was grateful. Ro was the introverted one but seemed to run deeper than her sister. Her smile meant more because she wasn't as generous with it. The shy, almost innocently seductive quality to the expression was also very appealing. The obviously agile brain behind her freaky eyes was intriguing as well. The smile shifted to Dinah and Ro's good hand came up to hook around the teen's neck.

"Thank you," she murmured softly into the blonde hair while I looked up to watch. Ro rubbed her nose and cheek against Dinah's face in a gesture that was all cat, or dog. Utterly unfazed by the strangeness of these women, Dinah returned the gesture with a giggle. "Are you hungry? You should come meet Alfred, because your sister already scared him half to death. It was hysterical."

"Saints," Ro groaned and dropped her hand to my shoulder to curl loosely around the base of my neck. "What's she done now?" They were so tactile. Their hands and faces and tails touching everyone around them as though they weren't even aware of it. Dinah obviously loved it, but I was still a bit wary and Ro pulled her hand away as though sensing that. "Sorry. Here." She apologized and reached up to pull off the chain I had noticed around her neck. From beneath the tank top came a bauble that was perhaps two inches in diameter and shaped like a half-sphere. There were small windows on both the flat and convex sides. In my hands, the thing was body-heat warm and far heavier than I would have expected.

"What is it?"

"That would be the flea circus. It's the factory for the nanites. There's a neutral solution in there that they breed in, so to speak. Once the liquid starts to appear cloudy that's when they're ready to be used. Unfortunately the little buggers are fairly useless in small quantities. I've mostly used them for micro circuitry, but they work just as well for biological applications."

I heard her, but was also enthralled with the device in my hand. If she wasn't yanking my chain, then there were thousands, perhaps millions of the microscopic robots in my palms. The thought was stunning.

"Smith would like that back as much as he'd like us," Ro growled softly and ruffled her hair up in agitation. "The things fascinated me as a kid and I managed to steal that when we escaped and have been propagating them ever since. You look confused Dinah."

"Fleas? Nanites? Huh?"

"You feed me and I'll tell you."

"Sounds fair to me," Dinah enthused happily and pounded on the bathroom door. "Come eat! Alfred made us pizza!"

 

++ Davie ++

I had spent the last three years of my life with these strange young women I adored like sisters. They had taught me so much about humanity with the mix of animal and human that was so integral to them. I had seen them in combat, I had watched them learn new skills and technology, and I had borne witness to their utter devotion to one another and the sacred need to protect everything more helpless than themselves. A half-dozen times I had seen them befriend another person, when those precious few would see past the fur and tails and teeth to the beautiful souls beneath. And I had never seen them as happy as they had been in the last couple of days.

It was utterly heartwarming. I hadn't actually seen Ro and Helena curled up in the bed, but Shan had been happy to share the sight. Ro left the bathroom with Dinah, trying to explain the nanites. "They're robots about the size of a human cell. In massive quantities they can build things on a microscopic level, like circuitry and damaged nerves and things."

I saw Barbara stiffen as Dinah happily prattled in response to Ro's lazy lecture. "Like Shan was going to have them fix Helena's collarbone?"

"Exactly. I don't really ask too much of the little bugs, but they should be able to do more than I've asked before." There was no mistaking that Ro was eyeing Barbara speculatively, her agile brain wondering if the fleas could fix whatever had put her in that wheelchair.

And a memory jogged loose.

The Joker had shot Barbara Gordon, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down before Batman had put him in Arkham and slunk off to New York.

Barbara Gordon was now the famous and invaluable Oracle.

Astonishing really, how these things worked out. If that maniac ever escaped, God forbid, he would find that he had created himself a nemesis of astronomical proportions.

How I loved divine justice.

Shan finally walked out with a wobbly Helena in tail. Literally. The darker woman seemed unfazed by the appendage coiled around her waist to keep her upright and on track. "Smells good Alfred," Helena crowed as she was placed gently in a chair and Shan could go for the food. She grinned wickedly at the older man she had accidentally startled with her presence earlier. He merely ruffled her hair and kept walking. Her look of delighted shock earned laughter all around.

"Good afternoon, Miss Helena. Good to see you up and about. I have something for you in reward for being a good patient."

"Only while she's on the drugs," Barbara sassed dryly and earned a blue-eyed glower.

"Just for that I promise to be a pain when I'm in pain later." They glowered fondly at each other before chuckling it off. It didn't take a telepath to notice that they were delighted with one another and their presence in one another's lives. Helena sipped at the mug of something pink and frothy that Alfred handed to her. "Mmmm… strawberries. You are a god among men, Alfred Pennyworth."

"I know," he responded dryly and we all dissolved into laugher again.

 

++ Harley ++

Kitty in a box, rat behind glass, dog on a chain, birdie in a cage, la la la.

I should have been a singer. The stage lost a good one with me! The patter of noise in my mind drove me a little batty if it had no one to be let loose on. Batty, oh that's a good one, Harleen. I scowled and slumped down further into my corner. Now I had my own damned Batman to keep ruining all my beautiful plans! My pookie would be so proud that I rated my own superhero. Three of them even! It still burned my butt that she was right there all that time! So not fair.

They would rue the day. What kind of lame expression was that anyway? How the hell did you rue a day? And what was a rue?

My pretty monologue was interrupted by the outside door. It was just stoic ole Jeff, the guard, letting in some new stranger to treat me like a lab rat. Wee… The asylum people must have made an effort to assign me the dullest guards ever. No fun at all when they were such stupid sheep that they wouldn't even respond to my brilliance!

I was feverish with boredom and the kind of captivity that was only worthy of those stupid enough to oppose me. Damn them! Damn them all…

"Harley Quinn?"

It was the newest lab coat addressing me by the name they should only be using when begging for mercy. Damn them all! I called up the good doctor persona and drew her around me like a protective blanket. In an instant, all was calm and clear, the feverish heat gone in calm reserve of the doctor mantle I had been for so long. That I had been before my sweet Mister J had shown me the truth in madness. "Did you require something?"

"No."

That answer sent up an internal jabber of confusion and I crawled from my corner to stand awkwardly in the straightjacket. I was curious now and I never had been able to ignore my curiosity for squat. "Then why are you here?" In the reflections of my polymer prison, I could barely make out anything about her except for a tall frame and long, pale hair drawn up into a severe French twist.

"Because you require something of me."

And there was a blinding flash of light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like this song because it strikes me as happy and hopeful without drifting into sappiness. Sort of the way Helena and Ro are together, that cross of intense and playful. The concept of 'home' is mercurial and I like the way the song illustrates that. This song is uplifting and strikes the mood for developing relationships.
> 
> Dance Into the Light  
> By Phil Collins
> 
> It's there in the eyes of the children,  
> In the faces smiling in the windows  
> You can come on out,  
> Come on open the doors,  
> Brush away the tears of freedom.  
> Now we're here there's no turning back,  
> We have each other,  
> We have one voice  
> Hand in hand, we will lay the track  
> Because the train is coming to carry you home
> 
> (Chorus)  
> Come dance with me.  
> Dance into the light,  
> Everybody dance into the light.
> 
> There'll be no more hiding in the shadows of fear  
> There'll be no more chains to hold you.  
> The future is yours,  
> You hold the key  
> And there are no walls with freedom  
> Now we're here, we won't go back,  
> We are one world,  
> We have one voice:  
> Side by side we are not afraid  
> Because the train is coming to carry you home
> 
> (Chorus)
> 
> Do you see the sun; it's a brand new day?  
> All the world's in your hands, now use it –  
> What's past is past,  
> Don't turn around  
> Brush away the cobwebs of freedom.  
> Now we're here there's no turning back,  
> You have each other,  
> You have one voice  
> Hand in hand, you can lay the tracks  
> Because the train is coming to carry you home
> 
> (Chorus)


	3. I Was Made For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The co-mingling of packs continues and Jesse gets to meet one of the new girls.

++ Dinah ++

As weird as it was to have someone else play coach for me, I really liked Shan's style better than Helena's. I got knocked silly and/or unconscious far less often. In fact, Shan had yet to really bruise me up, mostly because I couldn't lay a hand on her. It was like trying to catch a really playful dog who didn't want to be caught. And it wasn't as if I could outsmart her and pin her in a corner to grab her collar like I'd been able to do with the farm dogs. She could jump straight up a good ten feet and teleport in the blink of an eye. But I think the biggest difference was that she didn't have to be so wary when we sparred. With Helena, she had to be so careful to not really hurt me when her eyes went red and slitted. The Huntress mode intimidated the hell out of me because I knew first hand just how strong and fast she really was. Even without the Meta powers active she was an extremely difficult opponent, but I had learned to hold my own until the eyes changed. Helena had trouble staying out of Huntress mode while fighting, even with just little old me. It was the nature of the beast, so to speak. It was good for her to practice control, so that her off and on Meta powers didn't hurt me. More often than not, I was forced to hurl stuff at her to get her to back off. I understood the need to get out one's aggressions, but I hated being the punching bag when she got too feral. I was really looking forward to watching the twins spar with Huntress. It was gonna be wild.

Shan didn't have an off and on mode, and knew exactly what she was capable of as a fighter. There was no need for her to hold back, because she just seemed to know what I was capable of and how much punishment I could take and still get back up under my own power. And then she pushed me just a little bit further than I thought I could go. It was exhilarating and made me feel like a million bucks. She was also a riot to hang around with, which was a good thing, because I did everything but sleep and shower with her.

That thought threw my concentration and Slinky the tail swatted me flat onto my face. The sensation was not unlike the rattan practice sticks that Barbara trained me with, but stronger and thicker. "Distracted much, Sticks?"

"Urrgh," I groaned back and she mockingly purr-growled at me as usual. It seemed to be a Davie and Shan thing to make up names for everybody and everything. When Shan was sparring or patrolling with me, I was Sticks. When she was flattering me, I was Pretty Bird. The crush wasn't fading, but seemed to be growing ever stronger. I'd have given an internal organ to be able to talk with Gabby, who knew something was going on, no matter how much I tried to act normal. Instead, I suffered in silence around the constant presence of the very person who was causing all my crazy feelings.

Slinky wrapped around my arm and flipped me over. I was too tired to do anything but lie there and stare up at my new partner. She was curious, the white head tilted like a pup faced with an unknown. "What's up, Dinah?" Ah, damn, she used my name and I groaned and put my arm over my eyes. With a whisper of sound, Shan sat on the mats beside me and waited.

"I've been meaning to ask you about Slinky there," I chickened out. A peek showed me Shan's questioning and mildly irked expression. I had to wonder how she felt about me. "I've been watching you these last few days and wonder how you control everything. I mean, I know most of the brain's not used, but the tail's so long, the signals have so far to go and your reflexes are so fast…" I was rambling like an idiot, and Slinky's tightening grip on my arm stopped me. It was like getting my blood pressure checked.

"Two brains."

"What?"

"There's a nerve cluster at the base of our tails that relay signals and can make rudimentary decisions. That's why my reflexes are so fast. And you haven't seen Ro fight, she's way better than me."

"Nerve cluster?"

"Yeah, it's a miniature brain about the size of my fist that works the same way as the more primitive parts of the brain. Like the cerebellum, adrenal medulla and the hypothalamus."

"Bless you?" I ventured in confusion and she laughed, a full rich sound that warmed the room. "Dunno much about brain anatomy."

"I'm talking about what some people would call the lizard brain."

"God, you're weird."

That earned me a fond cuff up alongside the head. "It's the parts of the brain that controls things like the fight or flight reflex, and the real basic needs, like sleep, shelter, sex, and survival."

Determined not to show how unnerved I was by hearing the word 'sex' coming from her, I stroked Slinky and murmured, "That's a lot of s'es."

Slinky was batting back playfully at my fingers as Shan mocked me, "God you're weird." Then she suddenly jumped as though goosed and pushed my hands away from her tail. "Hey, stop that." She actually had to grab Slinky and wrestle it away from the friendly grip on my arm. There was a strange look in her eye that thrilled and terrified me. "My point is that half the time I have no clue what the damn thing's doing until I get sensations, because the little brain is directing it to explore the environment. The big brain lets it alone until it needs the stimuli… and this doesn't make any sense does it?"

"Kinda?" I half-answered and she sighed.

"I suck at this. Ro can explain better than me."

"You're kinda hard on yourself, aren't you?"

Okay, that earned me a weird look, a vulnerable glance that showed me a part of this woman I had never seen before. So nervous, so freaked about having me so close, so weirded out about how different she looked.

"Sorry Shan, my mouth gets away from me."

"'S okay. I noticed you're still wearing the gloves."

Honestly, I didn't dare take them off when I was trying to concentrate on something like sparring. Trial and error had taught me that any bare skin contact gave me hazy, off and on impressions, but they were only clear through my hands touching someone else's hands. It was like getting bad reception on the radio and then finally finding a station coming in clear and in stereo. The fuzzy, erratic imagery was easily ignored, but not the overwhelming sensations through my palms and fingers. Probably had something to do with how many nerves were in the hands. "Yeah well, I don't like reading people without permission."

"You need my permission? It's yours."

It was a profound and utterly terrifying moment. There was a part of me that wanted to read her so bad I could taste it. I wanted to know the feel of her strong hands on my own. I wanted to know what that soft fur felt like and what went on behind those pale eyes. I was scared to death of that knowledge. She was so close, the blood color of her eyes clearly visible underneath the faint violet. Her breath was soft and smelled just different enough that my brain was trying to figure it out. So close, that I could almost feel the tiny hairs feathered over her translucent pale skin. Almost close enough that I was about to do something I'd never done, almost close enough to kiss a girl.

And panicked.

Absolutely panicked. Jerking away from Shan's welcoming body heat, I bolted with some lame, mumbled excuse.

Not my best moment.

And the startled and hurt look on Shan's face stuck with me as I scampered down the stairs and pulled up short at the Delphi. No Barbara, but wise, dark eyes watched me silently from the couch. I had deliberately avoided Davie, intimidated by the quiet telepath with her gaze that could see right through you. It was unnerving and yet encouraged me to trust.

"So," she said calmly and conversationally. "Is it the telepathy or the nun thing that scares you off?"

I couldn't help it, and the snort of nervous laughter gurgled in my throat. She smiled wisely and her body language turned inviting. So, I decided that my day couldn't get any weirder and took her up on the offer of solace. Until I saw her shirt and was once again strangling on my laughter.

"Go ahead, that's why I wear the silly thing."

It was all the permission I needed and collapsed into hysterics. It wasn't the thick fleecy track suit and high tops that had set me off, but the tight baby-doll t-shirt that read, 'you can always kiss your sisters,' in swirly cursive across her chest, punctuated with a big kiss mark.

 

++ Davie ++

Ah, behold the power of the sense of humor. It was as though Dinah's panic had defeated with her laughter. Flicking my glance up, I saw a nervous Shan up on the second level, peering at me like a scared puppy.

" _You okay?_ "

She looked startled by the question, or at least me asking it. A troubled scowl made me sigh internally. There was a part of me that wanted the kids to just get it on to alleviate their boiling hormones, and part of me that admired their terrified self-control. With no coherent answer from Shan, I kept a mental ear on her and concentrated on the recovering Dinah. As I was sprawled back gracelessly into the big couch, I waved her down.

"Stay put. There's no need to get all formal on my account. Just relax."

"'Kay," she murmured groggily and snuggled into the larger portion of the couch near my hip. I had been hoping she would come to me on her own so that I could offer to help with her telepathy. "You really are a nun, right?"

Now it was my turn to laugh, patting her shoulder. "Yes. It's a long story and sounds like something out of a comic book." I took one look down at her and sighed heavily. "One you're not going to let me get out of telling, hmmm?" Dinah gave me the puppy dog eyes and I knew she'd been hanging around Shan for too long. "Okay, just remember that you asked. I was abandoned as an infant on the steps of one of the larger, more isolated Greek Orthodox convents in Greece. The sisters there raised me. My telepathy kicked in before I could speak and they kept me at that isolated place so that I could learn to control it. Once I was old enough to take the vows, the church gave me a special dispensation because of my powers to go out and keep tabs on everything. It's a weird job, probably one of a kind, but it suits me. At my age, there weren't a whole lot of what we now call Metahumans and the church was curious. I'm like 007 in that I have permission to break just about any rule for my mission. Over the years, I've learned when and where to break or bend the rules. It's hard to make that call, but the sisters that raised me did a fantastic job. They were always very good about trying to balance my wild, independent nature with the strictures of the church and morality. I've tried to pass down to the twins." I smiled softly when their familiar consciousnesses immediately rallied to assure me that I had. Even Ro's sleepy brain, still perpetually hazy with drugs and pain. Dinah was watching me raptly and I recognized the look. Such sorrow and such strength, she was the face of a billion kids just like her that were hurt for things they didn't do or couldn't control and were forced to grow up too fast and take care of themselves.

"So you were never a freak?"

How that question hurt her to say, I could feel it as if it were my own. So I reached out and smoothed back her bangs, feeling the mental tingle of her skin against my own. "Now, Honey, you don't feel that way anymore, do you?"

"I dunno," Dinah sighed, her eyes avoiding mine. So I reached out and grabbed one of her gloved hands.

"I'd like to help teach you if you'd like. I think there's a ton we can learn from one another, hmmm?" I talked in that low, soothing tone that the twins told me was positively hypnotic and Dinah remained calm as I tugged off the padded workout glove from her left hand. Gripping her wrist, I could feel her energy sparking in and under her skin like electricity to blaze like fire in her hand. It was just like standing too close to a power transformer, an experience I didn't care to repeat. "Just trust me."

Then I slid my palm into hers and we were both sucked in.

It looked just like New Gotham, dark and wet and windy and more than a little eerie. Except, looking down at my hands… everything was in black and white.

"It's always like this," Dinah said nearby and I turned to face her. "Except for particularly important stuff to whoever controls the environment." Sure enough, the only color in this place was the blue of her gaze, the hue shocking in this colorless place.

"Why here?"

That question earned me a strange look. "Because it's my home."

"It's awfully quiet and empty."

"It is, isn't it?" Dinah said softly, turning to look around the bare cityscape. "I've never been in control of the surroundings before."

"So play with it. I'll holler if something bothers me."

"Play with it?"

I chuckled and waved her over. From my pocket came a postcard that I brandished, forcing the environment to show the card in glorious, blazing color. "See this place?"

"It's beautiful."

"It's where I grew up. Give me your hand and let's see if we can try a change in setting, huh?"

Nervous, but brave, Dinah slipped her and into mine and the pictures swirled like liquid shades of gray, where color began to bleed together with them. "Wow," Dinah breathed as the rolling hills of southern Greece sprang to life around us. The Mediterranean glittered in the distance, tiny colored sails scattered across its gemstone surface "This place is gorgeous."

"Exactly the way I remember it," I hummed happily as I breathed deep of the fresh air. "Which of course means that this is merely a false and happy place for me." The look of confusion made me grin and tug at her hand to sit in the sweet-smelling grass beside me. "This place doesn't exist Dinah, it's a conglomeration of memories and ideals within my head. None of the places you see when you read people actually exist. I scanned your memories a minute ago and I see a pattern."

"Really? 'Cause I'm really confused."

"What you see when you read someone are memories, but only from that person's point of view. Each person will see the same thing a different way, and our perceptions are always affected by how we see things. You still look confused. Okay, when you lay here, what do you feel here?"

"Umm… peaceful and calm."

"Yes, but what do you sense?"

"Sense?"

"Hear, taste, that sort of thing?"

"Oh! The detail is so real. I can smell the flowers and dirt and the ocean and… wow, I can smell stuff I've never smelled before. And everything's so colorful and clean. How weird…"

"Not really. I've always had this place, but my experiences have modified to my needs over the years. And visitors alter it. Recently, of course, the twins have been here more often than anyone else. So, they altered this environment by teaching me about themselves; like their incredible senses. They can hear and see and smell things in a way that our merely human brains can't comprehend. But this place is pretty close. Or so they tell me. That's why everything is so colorful and sharp and the smells are so overpowering and sounds carry so far. Do you like dogs?" The change in topic caught the girl off guard even as Fluffy barked nearby. "I hope so, because here he comes." As though conjured by my thoughts, which is exactly what the huge, poofy white dog was, Fluffy bounded over a nearby hill and pounced on us both.

"He's great!" Dinah squealed in delight as she roughhoused with the perfect dog: big, soft, gentle and intuitive to visitors to this domain.

"I'm glad you like him. The twins helped me create him as kind of a playmate for both me and when they visit here." Peering through Fluffy's expansive coat, Dinah was serious but relaxed.

"You really adore them."

"Completely. They're my family. Since I never had a biological family, I think I have good skills to bond to different people."

"Yeah, me too. My adopted family tried to do a decent job with me, but I've being seeing and sensing things since I was a kid. I really thought I was a freak."

"And now?"

"Not so bad. Barbara and Helena are my family now. And helping others helps me build confidence."

"Good girl."

We basked there in the perfect sunshine for moments or an eternity. "Davie?"

"What hon?"

"Can we come back here sometimes?"

"My pleasure."

"We should probably get back."

"Yep. Lead the way."

 

++ Helena ++

I had slept more in the last four days then I had in what felt like my whole life. It was a blissful haze of mixed sensations and fractured perceptions. It was Barbara's gentle care of my injury and the concern of the people around me. It was the freedom from the constant animal rage that drove me to such extremes. It was the tall woman who had barely been away from my side in all this time. She soothed the crazy beast inside me, focused and tamed that feral power. I didn't understand it, and frankly didn't care to. There was something about this stranger that gave me peace.

Stretching luxuriously, I took startled note that I had reached both arms over my head. Dull pain throbbed under my skin, the damn collarbone no doubt, but the wound was gone. Peeling up the bandage, I confirmed that the knife's damage was indeed mended. I would still need to be careful of the mostly-healed break, but otherwise was feeling pretty damn good. Ro stirred lazily at all of my wiggling around and I didn't even try to resist the urge to pounce on her like a frisky kitten.

"Hi," I greeted her startled gaze and lazily rubbed my nose and cheeks over her face. "We started a conversation a couple days ago that I'm just achin' to finish."

It was a deep, lusty kiss as I aggressively attacked her mouth with all the reawakening feral need inside of me. There was only the briefest pause and I understood that her smart brain was objecting to this roughness. Then the lizard brain perked up and her animal smell grew stronger in my nostrils, igniting a fire in me that was as irresistible as it was taboo. The Huntress wanted out to play with this exotic woman who fascinated me so. I wanted her in the most hungry, primitive way, wanted to taste every scent on her, mark her with bites and scratches, make her submit to my strength and then return the favor. Ro groaned heavily, arching into my body as I raked my nails over her torso and bit at her tongue.

Then I screwed it up.

It only took one wrong move, just enough Metahuman-strength to cause a pain that made her let out a sound that chilled me. When I was a kid, I heard someone run over a dog a few streets over. It let out a shriek of agony that chilled my blood almost twenty years later. That similar cry of pain that twisted Ro's body as I gripped down on her shoulders scared me half to death. In an instant, I was frantic with worry, letting her body curl up to protect the wound she had taken to save my life. That she thumped my collarbone lightly was redundant, I didn't even feel it through the high of adrenaline.

"Oh God, Ro! Barbara! Dinah!"

I instinctively scrambled away as Shan leapt in with her eyes ablaze with the kind of protective anger I understood all too well. Cowering in the corner of the room, I was discounted by Shan, who hovered over her twin, soothing her with gentle hands. "Ro, c'mon, Boo, you're gonna be okay. Let Davie see, c'mon sis."

The litany went on, calming Rowan's mind and body as Davie and Dinah burst in. I could almost feel Davie's power reaching into Ro to help, and the long body began to uncoil. There were tears on the pale lashes, matting down the fine fur on her cheekbones and around her nose. Barbara finally made an appearance with the familiar medkit in hand.

And Shan growled at her.

The room froze with tension, Dinah torn between confusion and protectiveness. I was proud of her for stepping in close to Barbara, whose hands were ready to go for the collapsible riot batons hidden near the armrests. "Wait!" I cried in desperation, up on my feet and in the middle of all the tension before I could register actually moving. "Wait, Shan, please. It was an accident, please; I would never hurt her, not on purpose. Never. I swear."

It was a breathless eternity before Ro's soft moan broke the tension and Shan scrambled to crouch beside her. They sat for a long moment; faces pressed close, bodies touching everywhere they could. It was an intimacy the rest of us could only dream of.

I couldn't have that; I didn't know what the hell I'd been thinking. All too human doubts swamped over me, stifling the animal connection I couldn't dare believe in.

Or it would break my heart.

 

++ Reece ++

I was shocked to see her. Huntress wasn't seen unless she wanted to be seen. Only this time… I wasn't sure.

Thankfully, the night was slow and I was able to leave the car parked and head down the alley to the fire escape. Peering warily over the edge of the roof, a high-heeled boot or her mocking blue eyes didn't greet me, so I figured it was safe to actually climb onto the flat surface. I couldn't see her from here as I had from the street, and slowly approached the place where she had been. Seeing her in a clown suit may have been less of a shock than seeing her still there, staring blankly across the city. In sweats and a tank top of all the innocuous things.

"Helena?"

It was my softest tone and she still startled as though I'd shot at her. Her lanky body automatically twisted to avoid falling over the edge and seized up in mid-motion like a badly oiled machine. I was moving before I could register it, throwing myself at her like a baseball player. Good thing too because, while her astonishing reflexes had saved her from a fall off of the tall building, landing on the back of her neck the way she was going to might be nearly as dangerous. Catching her body was like being body slammed by a horse; she was that solid and muscular.

"Jeezus," I hissed into her hair at the close call and felt her shake. "What the hell is wrong?"

"Ouch," Helena protested tightly, barely a hint of her sarcasm and strength in her tone. Then I saw the vicious, cloudy bruising that covered the entire left side of her upper torso.

"Yeah, ouch, I see that. You should be at home."

"No," she grumbled like a little kid. "I can't right now."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she growled and I resituated my body so that I was leaning against the wall she'd fallen from and let her sit beside me, leaning against my chest.

"Bullshit. Don't tell me that you're guilt-tripping again."

It was what had ruined our pseudo-relationship in the first place. Not that I regretted it. She'd been so tortured over trusting Harley Quinn and Barbara's boyfriend dying because of it that she had been more than a little insane for a while there. Part of her had died in that blow up, part of her that trusted and believed. That spark had never come alive again, and I really wanted that for her. I held those few kisses as treasured memories and had put all my energies into helping her heal and move on. The kind of sibling warmth that had grown up felt terrific, and even if she still wreaked a bit of havoc on my libido, it was a hell of a lot easier to concentrate around her now.

"Not about that," Helena finally sighed and wearily rubbed her eyes like an overtired kid. The childlike mannerisms had shown up after her life had been torn apart by Quinn and still made appearances when she was especially stressed. It was a behavior I had recognized immediately. Hell, there were days when I was right there with her. "There's… there's some new people in town," Helena started up hesitantly, wiggling in closer to the loose arm I'd thrown around her upper body. "And they're… different."

"Queen of the understatement," I prodded gently. "Care to fill in the guy who's only human here? Different is always an adventure around you."

"Yeah," she huffed in soft humor. There was a pause and I thought I was going to have to prompt her again. Then she started talking in this soft tone that held me in thrall. "No one knows what it's like when I go Huntress, the rush of it and how different the world looks and sounds like. Then this woman shows up and she's like part cat and dog and stuff and she… she just knows, y'know?" Rather than respond, I schooled my patience and waited her out. I was rewarded by her voice growing even softer, her body relaxing in my loose grip. "I dunno how to explain it, she just reached in and understood every feral, crazy part of me, took a bullet to save my life, held me for four days while I recovered and made me feel safe and adored." Woo boy, this is what I got for encouraging her not to hold back with me.

"And this woman? What happened with her? She sounds pretty cool to me. Taking a bullet and all." I had a damn good idea what she was talking about, the reports that had caught my eye almost four days ago. Mysterious figures in black disappearing into thin air in front of six police witnesses. I was hardly shocked that Huntress and company were involved. There was a puddle of blood that hadn't matched any of the unconscious thugs and I now knew it must have belonged to the two women. Charming.

"Yeah, but I hurt her, Jesse. Grabbed her shoulder without thinking 'cause I got all riled up and Meta-strong without thinking." A great, wracking sob forced itself from deep within her body, making her cringe and hide her face in my jacket arm. "I always hurt the people I love, dammit."

I was about to respond to her pain when something caught my eye and fear blasted down my spine. The ghostly figure had materialized out of nowhere, the city lights and the half-face of the moon painting it white and black, a tail dancing as though caught by a lazy breeze. "Shit," I squeaked and would have gone for my gun, but a hand was held up. Something about the crouched body language told me that the stranger meant no harm, especially when Helena froze and whispered a name I couldn't quite make out.

 

++ Shan ++

Sure, I'd been pissed off and upset, but I hadn't done anything. Guiltily, I remembered the look on Barbara and Dinah's faces when I had growled. But Helena had selflessly thrown herself in front of my rage to protect her pack and I had backed off. Then Ro had begged me to find her, to make everything better. Ro never asked more of me than I could give, but this time I wasn't certain I could deliver. Whatever was going on between my twin and this mercurial wildcat was a little baffling even to me, and I was usually the weird one.

"Helena," I coaxed and tasted the strange man's wariness. "No one is angry with you. Least of all Ro."

"You are," she mumbled defensively and I sighed.

"No, I'm just all boofed up. If I'd been mad, I would have tried to kick your ass, broken shoulder be damned. Ro trusts you, so I believe that what happened was an accident."

There was a long pause before Helena spoke again. "Boofed up?"

It cut through the tension and I leapt down from my perch. "Yeah, fur standing up agitated critter kinda thing. It's all good. Who's your pal?"

His scent was vaguely familiar, clinging lightly to the clocktower, nearly lost in all of the other stronger scents. I crouched by Helena, watching her eye me from where she hid behind his arm. It was a sobering moment as I watched the conflicted blue eyes as they flickered everywhere but my gaze. Then she came to some kind of internal decision and sat up straighter, showing her face again. "This is Detective Jesse Reece." Alarm radiated down my spine and Slinky danced to the energy. A cop, wonderful… "I'm sorry, Shan, I don't know what happened."

"I do." That quiet statement took her off guard and I tried to organize my thoughts. "She's my identical twin, Wildcat. I know her better than anything and she knows me. For the first ten years of our life we were lab rats, with almost no emotional care or support but one another. We were the worst kind of animal, smart, violent and more than a little insane. We escaped and a woman we still miss and adore taught us kindness and love and tenderness. Thankfully, we had the basics in one another. We don't trust easily, Helena, and you don't either, but I'm not stupid and I can see that you're under her skin and vice versa. Now get the hell up and give me a hug."

Honestly, I had hardly expected her to do it, but after a moment she extracted herself from the detective and carefully hugged me. It was a wary, almost hesitant gesture and I returned it gently, mindful of her tattered emotions and her injury. "Thanks, Shan," she murmured and I stood while gathering up her tired body.

"Detective?" I addressed the swarthy man as he also stood. "It's been a rough day. Would you be willing to give us a ride home?" Boy, did he look startled at the request. "I noticed that you have no partner and your car down there is empty."

"Uh… sure, my pleasure."

Good adaptation skills, I admired that in an ally. And my toothy grin only made him blanch a little. Good, he was smart enough to be afraid, that must be why he was still breathing on these mean streets. "Helena, I need you to play piggyback with me, okay?"

"'Kay," she yawned and I chuckled.

"Still tired?"

"God, I've never slept so much in my life."

"Yeah, but you're sure healing damn fast," I admired, trailing a thumb over her shoulder. "No hole, and the bone seems to be more solid than not."

"Quick healer."

"Understatement."

Her body was more solid and compact than Dinah's when she leaned into my back. She squeaked and smacked my shoulder when Slinky tucked up into her crotch and coiled tight around her upper thigh to grip her body against mine. "Watch the tail!"

"Hey, you didn't have any complaints the last couple of times. Oh relax; I'm just yanking your chain. Wrong twin, remember? Now, when Binky gets a hold of you, I doubt you'll be complaining."

"Shut up," she muttered in embarrassment and buried her over-warm face into the back of my neck. Slinky curled around my waist and back around her as well.

"Hang on with your legs. We're out of here."

"'Kay. Did I hear correctly that you just called your sister's tail, Binky?"

I grinned evilly. "Yep. They are a source of great comfort and entertainment to us."

"Kinky," Helena snorted as I paced over to the fire escape and started down.

"What can I say, we're amateur poets."

Helena laughed the entire way to the ground.

Back on terra firma, Detective Jesse Reece eyed me, smiling hesitantly. "Do you and your… sister really have nicknames for your… tails?" He got an 'a' for effort in the acceptance department. Good man. So I eyed him speculatively, deliberately dropping my gaze to his crotch for a moment before returning to his eyes.

"You're a boy, detective, you should talk."

And Helena was in hysterics again.

 

++ Barbara ++

It was eerie to have the clocktower so quiet, everyone having scattered to find Helena. I was lonely and sad. The last four days had been a whirlwind and I had yet to really catch my breath. It was a good idea to hold these strangers at arm's length, dammit, it was! I didn't want anyone to challenge my safe zone; it was too damn thin anyway. There was an insane part of me that really expected to have Harley saunter in like she owned the place. Which, because of my obsessive fear, I suppose she did. I kept expecting to see Wade walk in with his innocent eyes dull in death. It was nerve-wracking. Yanking off my glasses, I tossed them roughly at one of the monitors and rubbed my eyes until they ached. Okay, until they ached worse. It was usually easier to lose myself in Oracle and the endless domain of Delphi, but I couldn't get my mind off of my immediate situation.

Hunching up, I pressed my forehead to my knees until my spine objected. The twins and Davie had interacted with me, but mostly skirted around my well-protected borders, wary of getting to close to those emotional warzones. I watched them effortlessly charm my family, filling needs I hadn't even known existed. I hadn't known just how rough Helena practiced with Dinah until the girl came out of a workout all smiles and healthy sweat, not bruised and battered yet stubbornly determined. I hadn't known how lonely Helena was until that furry stranger had filled an animal need that I doubted even Helena really understood. It was Rowan that had made the strongest effort to befriend me, when she wasn't sleeping, which had been fairly constantly.

"Damn cats," I grumbled to myself and grinned humorlessly.

"Not all cat," Ro spoke softly and I sat up quickly. It was so odd to watch her lounging nonchalantly against the support post for the second floor. The body language was so normal and ordinary, and such a bizarre contrast to her exotic looks. "Little bit canine and ape too."

"So I read," I agreed softly as she strode over and leaned into the counter exactly the way that Helena would. "It's fascinating. Thank you for letting me see it."

'It' was a thick hard drive that looked as though it had been through a war. Inside of it was an irreplaceable reservoir of knowledge about biological manipulation and microtechnology. I could only guess that handing it over to me was a gesture of trust. There was information on it that was more than a little disturbing; reports of human/Metahuman/animal experiments that made my skin crawl. Sevarius Smith and his cronies were indeed the cliché mad scientists.

Ro pulled up one leg to tuck it under her chin in a way that left me green with envy. Even when I was a world-class gymnast, I was never that flexible. Years of Helena's boneless presence in my life should have left me used to it, but this new woman retargeted that feeling of loss and envy. The pale eyes watched from beneath the feathery, ragged bangs with a grave understanding that unnerved me. It wasn't until I felt a tiny vibration in the chair and looked down that I even realized her tail had gently wrapped around my ankle and lifted my foot up. My first instinct was to snarl at her to back the hell off and leave me alone, but something stayed my defensiveness. The last few inches of the tail slithered over my numb flesh in a series of tentative back and forth moves. Just like a curious animal exploring some intriguing unknown. It was fascinating to watch.

I had read about the small brain located at the pelvis where the spine went from her trunk to become that amazing appendage. But watching it explore like a separate entity, hell bent on figuring out its environment, really illustrated that. Coiling further up my leg, the tail tickled over the back of my knee and I felt a faint glimmer of sensation that made me jump just a bit.

"You felt that," Ro whispered and I looked up.

"Sensations come and go. There are days I swear I can almost walk again and others where I'm so numb I'm cold."

It was painfully honest and my voice hurt as much as my throat. God, I hated talking about it. Then Rowan Jones did something so totally unexpected that I felt the pain and loss erupt out of me.

She knelt down and hugged me.

She had no way of knowing how touchy I was about being touched and I doubt she would have cared anyway. I could have made her back off with a word or a sign of struggle, but instead I accepted the calm offer of solace. The tears burned like painfully hot water, agonizing but cleansing. "I hate… I hate feeling like this! Helpless and broken, good for only the smart and stoic one," I bawled as the wave of emotions roared up from its dark depths and I squeezed my eyes shut and held on for dear life. "I wanna walk again, I… miss the feel of running and… and…"

"Freedom," Ro purred oh-so-gently and I could only cry harder.

God yes, I missed my freedom.

 

++ Ro ++

There was some old expression about still waters running deep. Never was that more true than wounded Barbara Gordon. Humans had this annoying habit of keeping themselves so… apart from each other, causing irreparable psychological damage. To touch was as natural to me as breathing. It took real effort to school my instincts around other people, to rein in my natural, animal need to touch and feel and smell everything. It wasn't as though the tail ever obeyed those social strictures anyway. Davie had told me and Shan about the Joker shooting Barbara the night they locked him away for good. A single bullet in retaliation to Commissioner Jim Gordon, and by proxy, Batman himself. Grunting in pain, I gathered up Barbara's shaking body, coiling the tail around her limp legs and headed for the bedroom. Tonight I would share the comfort of my body heat with her. If she were lucky, the others would pile into the big bed, stupid social rules be damned. Just as soon as they brought Helena home…

A sharp laugh woke me with a start, disoriented and stiff. I remembered the bedroom, I'd hardly left it in days, but the body weighing me down was unfamiliar. Red hair splayed over my chest, and her fist was clenched tight into my thin shirt. I instinctively wrapped my arms around her head in a protective cuddle in hope that the voices wouldn't wake her.

"Huh," Shan's voice reached me. "No Babs, no Boo, no nobody. Weird."

"Still sleeping?" Helena asked softly and I was relieved to hear her voice. After her panic from hurting me earlier, I had been worried about her. The nearly inaudible squeak of sneakers brought my dark angel to the door and I waved urgently at her. Nodding in comprehension, she snuck back out to talk with my sister in urgent whispers. Barbara mumbled half relaxed and half agitated and I could smell her body temperature rising. It could be a good or bad thing and I prayed that Helena came back quickly. Someone left and I had to wonder what I was missing. Dinah's voice drifted in from the Delphi's speakers and I distantly felt the reassuring brush of Davie's mind. She must be far away and fatigued to sound so faint. Again Helena entered the room, her body language pained and nervous. I was so happy to see her that my relief nearly made me faint.

"Hi Kitten," I purred and she looked both pleased and freaked.

"So you're really not mad at me?"

"Because you were enthusiastic?" I scoffed and grinned toothily at her. "God forbid. Get your cute tush over here and don't jostle Babs."

Carefully, Helena settled next to Barbara's somnolent body and leaned over to kiss me. It was gentler than we'd played before, her lips warm, soft and needy. "I'm sorry," she murmured in a vulnerable tone and I shifted my good arm to ruffle her dark hair.

"I know. Apology accepted. You're cold."

"Yeah, the car's heater helped, but I'm still chilled."

"Haunting roofs again?"

"I needed to think."

"I understand. Grab that quilt and bundle up."

Shivering, Helena kicked her shoes off and cocooned into the colorful quilt we'd commandeered from the woman asleep half across my torso. Without the slightest hesitation, Helena snuggled up tight to Barbara's back and nuzzled into the red hair. "You've been really good to us," she murmured and it took a moment to realize that she meant me. "Looks like you even thawed this one out."

"She needed a hug," I explained gruffly as my all too human embarrassment justified my animal actions. "She needed a caring touch and you know how the tail is…"

"Binky?" She said innocently, dark lashed fluttering flirtatiously and I scowled until she chuckled and ducked back into Barbara's hair. I growled and she only giggled, "ooooo, scary." She already knew me so well. Then she shifted to kiss me again and even my mild irritation at the stupid childhood tail-name faded away in her warm acceptance. The girl sassed like a diva, was as strong as a Clydesdale, moved like a panther in heat and kissed like a porn star. It was no wonder I was smitten. Twitterpated, I could almost hear Shan laughing inside my head. Actually, she was only chuckling from the doorway, and I ignored her in favor of Helena's many charms. It was my girl that raised her head up first, licking my lips and chin seductively. "I like it, it's cute. You'll have to show me exactly what Binky here can do, because your sister keeps giving me ideas."

Any replay was stalled out by Barbara's agitated noise and the defensive half-curl that tweaked her frame. Instantly, we were both wrapped around the muscular body, soothing away the tremors and whimpers. Shan curled her body down my free side and joined in the pack bonding by petting their heads of red and near black. With Barbara at a forty five-ish degree angle to my body, head and torso sprawled against my own and Helena wrapped tight against her back and Shan cuddled into my other side, it was a good thing it was a big, strong bed. As Barbara slipped from calm sleep to nightmare and back and forth, we prepared ourselves for a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so the lyrics don't fit exactly. The basic tone of the song works, the dawn of feeling, the strengthening bond of attraction and adoration. In a way, this song is a very honest reflection on my twins, for they were very carefully tailored to the three Birds. There's no point in creating new characters that don't fit in with the existing cast. They must be believable in their strengths and faults, as well as their interactions with others. This was where the connection between Ro and Barbara starts to be built. I have a confession to make that I have no clue in hell where the sparks from Shan and Dinah came from, but it happened almost immediately. It's all too rare when a writer gets such a delightful surprise.
> 
> I Was Made For You  
> By Martin Page
> 
> Take this man who comes to you  
> Take me to your side  
> I throw away my soulless days  
> I need you in my life  
> In the doorway of my heart  
> The presence of you shines  
> So put your face to my window  
> Trust what you see inside
> 
> (Chorus)  
> What are these hands for?  
> If I can't bring you fallen rain  
> What are these eyes for?  
> If I can't see the moon  
> Watch over you  
> What are these arms for?  
> If I can't hold you through the night  
> What does this heart beat for?  
> If I can't lay by your side  
> You must know  
> I was made for you
> 
> I'll meet you by the wisdom tree  
> And I'll hold you so close  
> Come on out of the wilderness  
> Let love free you from your ghosts
> 
> (Chorus)
> 
> We'll walk upon the hill  
> So high above the city  
> And count the rooftops down below  
> Lay on the grass  
> Dream out loud  
> Catch runaway chains  
> Dance in the rain  
> Someday you'll take my name
> 
> (Chorus)
> 
> Kneel down in the moonlight  
> Let your hair fall down around  
> Blow out all your candles tonight  
> And I believe you will see  
> I was made for you
> 
> (Chorus)


	4. Affirmation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances teach Gabby more about her pal than she ever imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to steal a great line from Retzcat, I just couldn't help myself. It was: Well spank my hiney and call me gobsmacked. I laughed my butt off when I read it in email.

++ Harley ++

Oh, there would be hell to pay.

All my wonderful toys, all of my wonderful minions, all my carefully arranged pawns in a tower of wealth and power that would have been a sight to behold! Scattered to the winds like a house of cards. This was the third hidey-hole we'd hit to see what was left and it was just as Mother Hubbard bare as the rest. Damn that flying rodent and her pets… I should have killed the cardboard cutout boyfriend much more slowly, really twisted the knife and made her listen to him scream. I really, really hoped that she still woke with nightmares, sweaty and agonized in the night. The thought made me feel just a little bit better.

"Now what?"

The cool voice cut through my train-out-of-control thoughts and I wasn't certain if I was grateful or angry at the distraction. It was the lab-coated woman who had somehow released me from my clear-walled prison. Her name was Doctor B and she was a scientist, hell-bent on retrieving some lost experiments. When I queried about said experiments, she'd only smiled coldly and said, "Oh, we're only ever a few steps apart. They will be here, if they aren't already." So far I'd determined that she would be more valuable with her freedom of thought intact and was holding my stolen Meta-power in reserve. I might be insane, but I was hardly stupid. She probably knew about it anyway, from the Oracle-meticulous records at Arkham.

Grumbling in frustration, I sank to the cold concrete floor to hug my knees and stare across the room. "There are two more places. And I can re-gather my rats again. I recruited the scum once to my cause and I can do it again," I vowed heatedly and my new partner shifted beside me to look around the bare room.

"It seems your 'rats' have already cleared out your storehouses. Now, I would certainly regret the original terms of agreement to be nullified." She spoke like she always did, cold and aloof.

"Oh, have no fear, Doctor B," I sneered and ignored her light glare. "I'll bring you your precious little experiments. I just need to think for a minute. There's got to be some loose ends I can exploit, there are always loose ends. Just like people don't think about what a stalker can learn by prowling through their trash, I'll find the loose ends… and destroy them all."

Ah, no problem that a little motivational speech couldn't solve. Leaping to my feet, I grinned wildly and stalked to the exit.

"It's time I visited some old 'friends'. I have a party to set up that New Gotham won't soon forget, and I have a guest list to prepare."

 

++ Barbara ++

I knew I'd been dreaming, and by the lingering tension in my muscles, nothing good. Yet, I actually felt pretty great. Someone was holding me, cradling my broken body gently; another pressed so close to my back that I was glad not to be claustrophobic. I knew who it was, I just knew.

And part of me was so humiliated I thought I would die. This intimacy was a threat to my solidarity, my sense of self, my need to rely on myself and myself only. And it was a load of bullshit. No one could rely on just themselves, it was impossible. We all relied on a thousand strangers a day for our food and power and entertainment and a million other things. We relied on thousands, maybe millions of years of our ancestors learning every skill we took for granted now. The long-winded and expansive rationalizing perversely made me feel better, bringing the craziness into focus.

I was certain that I needed them, this wild and erratic bunch of women. Straining my human senses, I reached out to get a feel of who was in the room. The smell of Neosporin under my nose confirmed Ro's bullet wound, so she was indeed the one underneath me. Only Helena would cling to me like a leech, so that must be her on my back, clinging so tight it was hard to believe she had a busted clavicle. There was others breathing nearby, the faint snorey wheeze of Dinah's breath, since she fell asleep into her homework on a regular basis, I knew the sound well. There was another at the crown of my head that must be against Ro's other side, one big hand cupped around my skull. Shan. Davie might be nearby as well, but I couldn't make her out.

When I opened my eyes, I could see that I was indeed held happy prisoner of Helena's body and it was Ro that was pinned beneath our upper bodies. It felt impossibly good to be held like this.

There were parts of myself I rarely brought to the light of acknowledgement. The dark parts that my biological father beat into me, turned twisted and bitter. Thank God for my uncle who became father to me, not the monster who we both shared blood with. The darkness and danger that had driven Batman to a kind of utter destruction again and again and again. So many of us had gone along for the ride, Dick, me, Jason, Alfred, Selena… My gaze was drawn to the strong, slim arms holding me so possessively. It was impossible to deny anymore how damn bad I had wanted her like this. From the day I had met Helena as a child, I knew she was special. The kind of special that could save the world. As a broken-spirited, angry and borderline homicidal teenager, she had saved my sanity and humanity. Together we were stronger than anything life could throw at us, no matter how horrible. Not Selena's death, not my deadened legs, not an innocent bystander's murder, not a madwoman invading our sanctuary. I knew that I had always loved her, but only recently had acknowledged what a sexy and magnificent woman she had grown into.

And now she had a thing going on with Ro. Who been such a huge help to me recently, teaching me wonderful new puzzles for my overactive brain, and giving my pain a safe sanctuary. Damn…

My growing melancholy was stopped short by something that made me snerk in repressed laughter. Dinah had kindly brought my chair into the room and obviously sat down to watch over our sleeping bodies. Only to pass out herself, feet propped up on the bed, still in her costume. The sound broke up the sleepy quiet and as the bodies about me stirred into wakefulness, I was torn between feeling bold and sheepish. So I pressed my face into Ro's throat, careful to not press against the wound. "Thank you," I murmured softly and tugged at Helena's arm until she made an annoyed noise.

"Don't pull." The collection of bodies was more active now, thrilling and terrifying me by focusing on me with hugs and touches. Both twins were nuzzling my skull, Helena shifting to do the same, her face brushing over my neck. It earned a shudder that I tried to repress. "Hey," she breathed softly. "G'mornin'. Sorry to be a jackass last night and bail out. I kinda freaked. Ro here take good care of you?"

"Yes," I answered simply and forced myself to relax, as Shan rubbed up like a friendly kitty to me, then Helena and then her sister.

"If everything's cool, I'll do breakfast today. C'mon Donatello," she sassed Dinah as she jumped from the bed and hauled the teen out behind her. We were alone now and I felt and heard Ro yawn hugely. Glancing up, I marveled at the wicked, straight canines, thick and nearly an inch long.

"Man, you got a mouthful of teeth on you like a dog," Helena teased and stuck her finger into the yawn. She yelped as she was bitten playfully and I had to grin.

"Gorilla," I tossed out and they both paused.

"What?"

"Gorilla. The teeth."

Ro just grinned and rubbed her eyes with the hand behind me before scratching tenderly at my scalp. "Yeah, exactly. They show off when I yawn. The great ape DNA is actually the most prevalent, because it was the easiest to integrate. Little bit of monkey to help the little brain with the tail and to help keep our bodies from getting too bulky. The canine and feline is mostly wolf and cougar in addition to the plain ole mutts and house cats we see all the time. There's bits and pieces of a few other species, but it's negligible, and I'm gonna shut up now." Ro lectured and her voice turned self-mocking. "Leave it to me to have two gorgeous women in bed and start talking about science and whatever."

"Hey," Helena chuckled and resettled her grip on me, while I could sympathize with the white woman's words. "I like smart girls." The soft purr in my ear sent shivers screaming across my nerves. Too chicken to take the invitation in Helena's tone, I traced a hand down Ro's damaged arm, where it lay flung straight away from her body.

"How do you feel, smart girl?"

I couldn't meet their eyes, and there was a subtle rejection in Helena's body at my deliberate avoidance of her compliment. "Stiff enough that I don't dare move, smart girl," Ro mocked me lightly and I hid my face against her body again.

 

++ Helena ++

Yeah, there was a part of me that was annoyed at Barbara's continued avoidance of her feelings. Mostly, I was just resigned to it. She didn't have the same animal-brain triggers that I did: like the smell and stance of a stranger that could turn me into such a cat in heat. And my furry friend had that primitive dance with my senses goin' on in spades. I knew I loved Barbara, I had loved her from the time I was too young to have a clue. Watching her do gymnastics made the physical almost spiritual to me, and years later I used those memories to teach myself how to move and how to rein myself in. It worked like a charm, Barb's example to live up to and improve on with my Metahuman gifts. I was salivating to have Ro push me too hard. The idea of squaring off with her and Shan was the proverbial carrot dangled in front of me. Dinah was a decent opponent, but I needed someone who I could let loose with. The very thought of it brought on the change I knew as intimately as my own heartbeat. It rushed over me, the ultimate high, the intoxicating power that had made me take on the name of Huntress.

"Down girl," Ro hummed soft and coaxing, killing the high off with the memory of hurting her. I was relieved to be calmed, scootching half over Barb to apologetically nuzzle Ro's face.

"Sorry," I whispered mournfully and yipped in surprise when she abruptly grabbed the hair at the back of my neck and wrenched my head back. There were lips on my throat, the thrilling and terrifying pressure of those wicked teeth pressing into my windpipe.

"You're forgiven," Ro growled and was instantly all tenderness and caresses. My head was spinning from the stimuli. "Now stop beating yourself up about it." The rough and tender of her was what enthralled me, because no one had ever simply accepted my wild side with no questions asked. Even now she licked at that soft spot back at the point of my jawbone, her nose petting my pounding jugular. There was the faintest roughness to her tongue and I giggle-groaned. We kissed again, and I got nipped at when I played my new favorite game of hooking the tongue piercing around her canines. My one whole arm was weary from propping me up and I snuggled back into my companions, Barbara cuddled against my body. I had felt the fire of those green eyes watching the kisses. "Good thing I don't have much of a gag reflex," Ro teased and stroked my head and back. "You're gonna do me in with those kisses."

I chuckled as I watched Ro painstakingly curl up her wounded arm and Barbara immediately moved her hands to help. In these moments, I wanted so badly to know what was going on behind those mercurial green eyes. Ro's hisses of pain distracted me as I watched Barbara's competent hands help get the damaged shoulder moving just enough to get circulation flowing freely again.

"Thank you, Barbara," Ro murmured, flexing her hand open and closed for long moments.

"You're welcome. I've been there myself."

Ducking in as best as she could, Ro Eskimo-kissed the shy redhead and I was shocked when she raised her head up and kissed back for real. It was quick, and tentative, but there was no doubt that Barbara too-serious-for-her-own-boots Gordon had just lip-locked with the wild-looking stranger in her bed. Somehow I restrained my snort of amusement and just stayed in the cuddle. Since we were all so relaxed and friendly-like, I knew it couldn't last.

"Barbara!" Dinah yelled suddenly. "Guys! We have a problem!"

In a flurry of motion, the three of us were out of the bed and scrambling for the Delphi. "C'mon, you studs," Barbara taunted as she was in the chair and ready to go before Ro and I dragged our wounded butts from the bed.

"Pain in my ass," I grumbled and followed her chuckles from the bedroom. Both Dinah and Shan were ticking away at a monitor or two, the former firing us a positively freaked look.

"There's been a jailbreak."

There was a nasty feeling in my gut at the fear in Dinah's voice.

"It was Harley… two days ago, except that she went back and freed Clayface too."

Oh shit…

 

++ Jane ++

It was work. Good, solid honest work. It didn't make me hate it any less. Mopping up dirty bars and cleaning up after the waves of humanity was a thankless and necessary function. Lucky me. But with no past and no future, I could only live in the now. Dumping the dirty water in the stockroom sink, I looked around the trendy bar and was satisfied that it looked good. Thankfully, this place was easy to clean, with its sparse furnishings and relatively conscientious employees. I was lucky to have work at all, not to mention the group home downtown to sleep at. Anything past just a few months ago was a complete blank. The doctors had told me that the odds of my kind of amnesia were incredibly high. My memories were a blank, but I retained the basic functions and a lifetime worth of body-memory. Found buried alive in a fire-gutted warehouse with no ID, the New Gotham police had taken me to the hospital where they had managed to save my life. I had the reports memorized. The burns had been so bad that they had sent me to a specialist in New York. With no template as to what I was supposed to look like, the complete strangers had guessed as best as they could according to my bone structure, musculature and the few remaining wisps of hair. It was a miracle really, how normal I looked now, even if the woman gazing out of the mirror behind the bar was a complete stranger.

I had been sent back to New Gotham in hopes that the city I had been rescued in would jog some memories loose. With my reconstructed face, it was doubtful that anyone that might know me would recognize me now.

The roar of a motorcycle outside warned me that my ride was here and I had better hurry the hell up. The tough-as-nails redhead had been my keeper for nearly a week now, and I actually felt very safe with her around. A transient with a teenage daughter, Kelly Snyder was a remarkable woman. She was a bear of a figure that was all iron will and intimidation tempered with a sweet, loving protectiveness that was breathtaking. "C'mon Jane," her heavily accented voice growled at me and I scrambled to straddle the battered but lovingly maintained motorcycle idling at the curb. "How's your day?"

"Okay. What's for dinner?"

"Carrie managed to score some hamburger and is making something for us."

It wasn't a luxurious existence, but I wasn't alone in the empty desert of my nonexistent memories. I was rapidly growing very fond of my new family and the way they had taken me in.

 

++ Kelly ++

Carrie and I had spent half the day talking about my decision to take this incomplete woman into our confidence. It wasn't like me and we both knew it. Some of the local toughs had been pressuring the poor woman and I just couldn't stand it anymore. They had backed down, and I was left with this disjointed and scarred creature who didn't even have her own name. But I knew she was a metahuman, I could feel her tickle my power awake any time she was near me. No metahuman power could work within my immediate proximity, unless I consciously lessened the effect. Jane could be almost anything, and I only hoped it wasn't dangerous to Carrie or myself.

Her strong arms around me made me wish desperately for a touch that was more than just comforting or protective. It had been far too long since I had managed to find companionship and I was achin' for it. That Carrie was getting to the age to be curious about her sexuality was driving me nuts. I couldn't keep my eye on her all the time, nor did I really want to stop her exploring… exactly. It was just unnerving as a mother to see that my baby was growin' up so fast. Pretty soon she wasn't gonna need her old lady and then what would I do? At the shelter, Jane slid off the bike and handed over the helmet, raking her fingers through her short, light brown hair. In this light, there was no way of knowing that she was covered in well-repaired burn scars. We climbed the stairs past all the other inhabitants up to the tiny apartment I had finagled because I had a kid. The savory smell of beef and onions greeted us.

"Hi mom! Hi Jane, come eat."

That was my baby, sweet and affectionate and such a good girl. "Hey Tigger, it smells great. How'd your day go?"

"Fine. Some suit gave me twenty bucks for batting my eyelashes," Carrie waved the tip off with a chuckle and I tried to not go 'overprotective mom' on her. "How about you, Jane?"

"Wednesdays are my easiest day. The Dark Horse is always fairly clean."

I saw something flit across her face, something vaguely disturbed and confused. Gentling my voice to my 'mom' tone, I touched her arm. "Does it seem familiar?"

"I… I don't know. It's almost as though it should be, but it's not."

Much to the woman's shock, I swept her into a crushing hug, her feet well up off the floor. "It'll come back. And if it doesn't, you have us now."

The touch of her hands on my back was thanks enough.

 

++ Gabby ++

Ah ha! There was my quarry. About damn time.

"Redmond!"

Ignoring the scattered snickers in the hall, I pounced on my pal, yanking her around to meet my eyes. The bitching out I had been planning for the better part of a week died a quick death when I got a good look at her.

"God, Di, you look like hell. C'mere." Cringing like she was afraid of me, Dinah let me drag her over to a quiet corner and press her into a wall. Dark circles under her eyes were clearly visible and no matter how carefully she had applied foundation and blush, her skin was gray with fatigue. "Oh Dinah," I breathed and tugged her into a loose hug. "What's going on with you? You looked wrecked."

"Yeah," she murmured hoarsely and tentatively set her hands on my hips. Now, I had always admitted to myself that my bud was a cutie, but I had always gotten no vibes from her. But… but there was something in the way her hands lay against my body that raised inappropriate questions at this time. "Gabby, you know I'd tell you if I could right? 'Cause I swear if I could, I would."

Okay, Di had always been the overenthusiastic yet painfully shy type, but right now she sounded positively desperate that I believe her.

"Yeah, I know. I just hate seeing you suffer, y'know? Every time you come to school looking like this… I worry. We all worry."

There was a harsh sound that was tears being choked back and her hands clenched into me almost painfully. Damn she was strong. I had known Dinah for almost a year and a half now and these bouts of pain and depression were agonizing because she wouldn't talk to anyone about it. In our little group of buds, she was an enigma that was equal parts fascinating and maddening. More than once I had wanted to ditch her because of the aggravating mystery, and every time the easiness of the relationship drew me back. I was pretty gregarious and all, but there was something in the darkness and light of Dinah's personality that drew me in.

"C'mon, class is starting soon. You ready for that chemistry test?"

Her groan was answer enough.

A few hours of having our brains pounded into submission and we were finally allowed to go eat. Being seniors, we were allowed to leave campus and Dinah usually had access to Miss Gordon's Hummer. As the coolest and most expensive wheels in the bunch, we rallied around Dinah for lunch. But our gang noticed the quiet and exhaustion and left her to me. It was habit now, because I seemed to be the only one who could coax her out of it. The weirdest thing was that she seemed to really want to talk to me, but really couldn't.

Made a girl wonder what the hell she could possibly be hiding.

Dinah stepped into the sunshine and jingled the keys at me. "C'mon bottomless pit, I can hear your stomach growling from here. Barbara's good for lunch. Taco Bell cool with you?"

The forced normalcy almost worked, but I wasn't buying it. In the coolness of the big car, I eyed my pal as we waited in lunch traffic. She was pensive and withdrawn, confusion and tiredness swirling through her. When at last we made it out onto the main strip, the big SUV pulled out into the flow of all the other cars. "Y'know," I finally sighed. "If you're not going to talk to me then why am I here?"

Okay, it was harsh, but I was desperate for a reaction. The near-sideswipe of the mini van to the left of the car wasn't at all what I had in mind. Jerking the big SUV over the shoulder with enough violence to put both right side tires onto the curb, Dinah clung to the wheel and nearly hyperventilated with stress.

"Whoa, D, I didn't mean it. Shit, you're the best friend I've ever had. I just feel like a failure that I can't help you when you get like this."

Tears had pooled up no matter how hard she was trying to fight them off. Her fingers were white on the wheel, every strong muscle in her arms standing out in relief. I had wondered about the muscles. They were the real deal, the kind of strength that a person got from hard physical labor, not just working out. But Dinah seemed so… normal.

Except when she got like this.

I had never been to her place, the excuse being how weird it would be for Miss Gordon to have a student hanging around. For the millionth time I had to wonder what it was like there. Screwing up my courage, 'cause Dinah was a little scary like this; I reached out and put a soft hand on her arm. After a moment the rock-hard muscle started to relax. "I'm not going anywhere, D, I'm not. Okay?"

Nodding jerkily, Dinah grabbed the bottom edge of her shirt and mopped her wet face off. Not that I minded the view, but I figured I had better look away. Best friends were not supposed to ogle, at least in our case. "You're the best," she whispered and I grinned. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah," I sassed her affectionately. "But feel free to flatter me anytime."

 

++ Dinah ++

The effort to not spill my guts to Gabby had been always physically painful. I had cheated a couple of times when playing the underage drinking game, I had had the hell beat out of me by thugs and mentors alike and this pain seemed a thousand times worse. Gabby had been a steadfast friend since my first day at New Gotham High and I hated not being able to be honest with her. It had always been hard to explain away my periodic absences when I was hurt, or my depression when horrible things happened to me or my teammates. When my mother died was the worst. I was so stunned by the near-stranger that had stepped into my life and called to my heart. Watching the warehouse go up in flames had destroyed a part of me that had belonged to her, the mother I never had chance to really know.

After school, Barbara had dropped the two of us off at the mall to hang out. Like any seventeen year olds, this was normally a favored pastime, making us feel grown up and free from the parental units. This time, nothing would drag me from the emotional fog surrounding me, no matter how hard Gabby tried.

When the bad guys caught me completely flat-footed, I figured then and there that it was a good reason to let Gabby in on the big secret. At least then she would know why there was a complete stranger manhandling her into submission. They were big men, but the usual stupid hired thug archetypes. It would be easy to beat them senseless… except that they weren't alone.

"Well hi there," a terrifyingly familiar voice chortled from the shadows and she stepped out of the dark alley behind her thugs. "Miss me, pretty girl?"

"Shit! Gabby! Don't look at her!" I screamed and felt the terror turn to power as I gathered my resources. "Whatever you do, don't meet her eyes!"

It crashed through me like a wave of fire, a blast of heat fueled by fear and anger. The thug grappling with me from the front was smashed back by the force of my Metahuman power and I allowed the telekinesis to kick me back as though fired by a gun. The guy behind me let out a wet grunt as our combined weights smashed into a nearby wall like a car wreck. Then something streamed out of the darkness behind Harley, whistling down the alley like cables fired from a launcher. Whatever they were, they were thick and appeared to be… thorny?

Adrenaline poured into me like liquid heat and my body moved to the dance that the Huntress had so painstakingly taught me. Everything began to slow, my body and senses becoming almost more than human to keep me alive and whole. Gabby was still struggling with her captor, and I admired her spunk. There was no way that I could hide my other self from her now and with that realization, I completely let loose. The vines screamed past my head as I desperately twisted away and rolled to my feet. One of the two batarangs I always carried was flickering out before I was even upright again.

Harley was expecting it and flinched out of its flight path.

Which is exactly what I wanted her to do. Someone back in the darkness grunted in pain and I feinted left, using a woozy thug to do a flying somersault and plant both feet into Gabby's captor. We all went down in a tangle as I once again twisted to my feet just in time to see a flash of silver in Harley's hand.

It was sheer, stupid chance that the projectile missed me, then Gabby, and pegged the thug right in one beefy arm. His screaming sent my adrenaline up another notch as the need to survive took on a whole new level. Then the damnest thing happened.

A figure materialized in midair above Harley's head. Literally materialized from nothingness. My gasp must have made Harley look up with only a split second warning. It was too late to dodge, but she did manage to throw her arms up and brace for the impact. I saw a flash of movement in the darkness, focused on it even as the vines began to animate again. Headlights flashed blindingly across the fight and reminded me of the last time I had done this.

There were four of them illuminated by the headlights, one flattened under Shan's crouched body. I was so glad to see her that I was almost faint. The emotions rolled through me and again the fire roared up to smash down the alley like the ocean does to the shore. Shan flung herself recklessly aside, but still went tumbling from the force of my anger. Not half as bad as the baddies though.

"Shan! C'mon!"

In the glare of the approaching headlights, I watched something play out. At that moment in time, I didn't really understand what I was seeing. A tall, pale woman woozily sat up as Shan rolled to her feet and they both froze. It was eerie. Yanking at a stunned Gabby, I leapt out of the way of the approaching car, the roar of its straining engine letting me know that the driver wasn't fooling around. The 'kinesis pushed us girls out of the way just enough that only the wind of its passing hurt us, tossing up dirt and trash into our eyes. Gabby was screaming something as I squinted down the alley.

Shan was down there.

My sweet and funny pal that had been so damn good to me. The strange woman who I was hopelessly attracted too and probably half in love with… was in the path of that damn car.

Something inside me snapped.

Not again…

They had gotten my mother, and they had gotten Wade. They would get Shan over my cold, dead body.

The power rushed through me in a way that was… transcendental. I reached out in terror and desperation for my companion and the ache of losing those me and my family loved.

The car lifted right off the ground.

In the flash of the moving headlights, everybody gaped in astonishment as the big muscle car launched itself as though hitting a ramp and smashed into the brick building to the north of us.

Almost three stories off the ground.

It was beautiful.

 

++ Shan ++

I was hard pressed to figure out which was the bigger shock, seeing my demon mistress in the flesh once more, or the flying car. Doctor B still scared the hell out of me, terror swirling with hate. Perhaps I would have pursued it if not for Dinah's presence so close, but now wasn't the time and I rabbited. I hated it, but I grabbed Dinah and the shock-frozen girl with her and ran like the hounds of hell were on our heels.

Of course, this took us right into traffic. I was getting really sick of headlights bearing down on me; the damn bright lights were murder on my poor eyes. If not for animal instinct, we would have all been road pizza. My leg muscles coiled and launched without my brain consciously assisting and I gripped the girls painfully tight against me to shield them. Tires squealed; the windshield smashed across my back, Dinah cried out in pain, and her friend in terror. Dammit, the impact had knocked the wind out of me and now inertia was gonna have me kissing pavement. Somehow I got my feet underneath me, lungs heaving as too-bright lights swung insanely around me. There was a struggling weight in my arms… What the hell was I doing here? What was going on? Darkness was dancing the polka with my battered brain when someone grabbed my arm and quite literally bodily dragged me away from the chaos.

With the safe darkness came the very real pain and shock radiating from my poor body. Collapsing, I was dimly aware of her voice yelling incoherently at me. What the hell was she saying? Hands slid gently under my head and I looked up curiously at the strange girl who loomed over me. She grinned kinda hesitantly and it suddenly really registered that I didn't know her. Crap…

Then Dinah entered my vision, her head almost touching the other girl's. "Oh God, Shan, are you okay?"

"I was… just jealous of all the TLC that Ro's been getting," I wheezed without thinking and Dinah looked torn between humor, fear and annoyance.

"You are such a pain in my ass, Mikey," she growled around the tears in her eyes. "Don't scare me like that! What is it with you and cars?! My heart's gonna explode."

"Dinah," the strange girl tried to distract the impending hysteria while I watched with morbid fascination. "Dinah!" Okay, the shout worked. "I'm not gonna even fake that I have a clue what's going on, but shouldn't we get away from whatever the hell just happened in that alley?"

"Good call, Curly," I coughed and let them pull me to my feet. "I feel like crap." Slinky hurt like hell, but I forced the tail to wrap around my waist and tried not to let my screwed up balance panic the hell out of me. Fear and fascination poured off of Di's pal, but she stuck close to me as we three scuttled down the street fast as our legs could carry us.

"I lost my earrings," Dinah commented in a voice that would have been almost normal if I hadn't been able to hear the undercurrent of hysteria to it. "Oracle, if you can still hear me, we're at the corner of Jefferson and Gruder. Better send someone quick before Harley finds us or somebody stops for a good look."

A long tense eternity passed while we waited for someone to find us. We were in no condition to fight and had a civilian to watch out for.

Crap.

 

++ Gabby ++

I had always been one of those kids that believed in vampires and Santa Claus and the monsters in my closet. But there's a time in a kid's life when they stop believing in fairy tales and knights fighting dragons. There was a part of me that had never wanted to stop believing. I knew it was stupid and weird, but I wanted to believe. Looking up into the furry grimace on my knight in black leather, and my wild-eyed school pal's pale face, I knew that something very important had happened. While my logical brain refused to comprehend exactly what I thought I'd seen, I somehow knew that I was going to be unable to deny any of it either.

Abruptly, a familiar big black SUV screeched to a sloppy halt only inches away from the three of us. "Does the manic driving run in the household?" I queried saucily of Dinah, who blinked owlishly as the door slid open and a voice barked out from within.

"Get in! This isn't a social call!" Reluctantly, a shy smile tugged at Dinah's mouth as we dragged our sorry butts into the H2. The dark woman behind the wheel looked familiar… Miss Gordon's business partner with the funky name. It wasn't like me to forget gorgeous women. "Been awhile, Gabby," she said smoothly as the H2 slid back into traffic and away from the weirdness.

A groan brought my attention back to the stranger who had dropped out of the sky. The owner of that voice had her white head buried in Dinah's lap and my pal was gently petting the white hair. In the flickering light of passing traffic, I could make that the ear I thought I had noticed earlier was exactly what my mind thought it was, pointed, and nearly as long as my hand. "Shhh… it'll be okay," Dinah was crooning softly, tears tracking down her cheeks. "Thank you for coming to rescue me. Both of you."

The dark woman, for my attention was abruptly jerked back to her, gave a soft snort. "From what we could hear, all you needed was a quick getaway. Damn nice job back there." There was no mistaking the tension in her voice and her eyes flickered over to me periodically. "So," she began in that mild, conversational way that set my nerves on edge. "I really hope you're a great as Di thinks you are, because your life is about to get very weird. You up to it?"

What the hell was I supposed to say? Something long and sinuous had slipped out from beneath the white woman's coat to coil loosely on the ground, the tip curling in lazy agitation. Dinah had sent out blue waves of… energy and made a car fly. I kinda doubted that the woman driving was any more normal, if that was the right word. But they had saved my life.

They had saved my life.

It was a revelation.

And then I realized something… this is what Dinah had been hiding all this time. This wasn't a new thing for her. This kind of weird shit happened all of the time. A thousand missing bits and pieces clicked into place. All of the hidden trauma, the wanting to tell me everything, but being unable to, all of it suddenly made sense. She was protecting herself… and protecting others. A crushing weight of responsibility pressed down on me and I swallowed hard before meeting the driver's eyes again.

"Yes. I'm up to it."

We pulled up the delivery ramp and right inside the New Gotham clocktower before the SUV even slowed down. "Okay troops," the driver sighed and relaxed into her seat for a minute. "We're home."

"What if they follow us?" There was a scowl in response to Dinah's quiet question.

"It's not like she doesn't know where the hell we are," she snarled angrily and painfully climbed out of the SUV. I had noticed how she had been favoring her left side and wondered why. Then again, if tonight's excitement was typical…

"Damn," Dinah sighed, the tears still heavy in her voice. "Gabby, I'm so sorry about this."

I climbed back to kneel next to her exotic pal and patted both of them. "Hey, it's not like you guys pulled this on purpose. Gabrielle Anderson, but call me Gabby," I abruptly introduced myself to the strange albino dog woman half-sprawled on Dinah. Smiling thinly, she reached out a hand and grasped mine.

"Killashandra Jones, call me Shan. Pleased to meet you. You and the Pretty Bird here are buddies?"

Painfully, Shan sat up with our help and eyed me oddly.

"Yeah, ever since she came to New Gotham. She's the best."

Okay, that was a loaded glance. Some suspicions were brewing as I watched Dinah shyly duck the piercing look. "Yeah, she's that," Shan mused softly and I blinked as Dinah smiled in a way I'd never really seen before and leaned against the tall woman's back.

"Flatterer," she sassed lightly and ruffled her fingers through the ivory hair. Shan leaned back into Dinah's body again, the embrace easy and quite welcome from both parties by the looks of it.

Well spank my hiney and call me gobsmacked… Dinah had a thing goin' on! With a girl! Sure, kind of an odd one, what with the ears and tail and… oh wow, she was furry too, but a girl nonetheless. I was so proud.

 

++ Barbara ++

For the moment, I was alone in the tower except for Davie playing silent sentinel in the living niche. Her dark gaze was both soothing and irritating.

"I could take her memories away," she abruptly volunteered and I blinked at her in astonishment.

"What?"

"It's part of my abilities as a telepath. I can… remove parts of a psyche. I hate it and it's not very exact, but I can do it." It bothered me on a very deep level that I actually considered it for a long moment. "But Dinah's happy to be able to be honest with her friend."

How many shocks could I weather before I snapped? There had been an awful lot of them lately. Hell, there had been an awful lot of them over the course of my whole damn life. Steeling my courage, I flashed Davie a wry look. "Remind me to smack that girl for bringing strays home."

Davie chuckled in appreciation and we waited for the younger women in an easy quiet.

First out of lift was a scowling Helena, who took one look at me and threw her good arm up in exasperation. "Aw, don't tell me you're not mad at her! Not even a little? Man, I never got away with this kinda shit," she grumbled and stalked over to flop down next to a snickering Davie. Next was Shan, draped between her sister and Dinah.

"Dammit, Boo, I'm gonna be fine. I feel like I had the hell kicked out of me, but I've been hurt way worse than this. So have you! Stop pouting at me for God sake," Shan was grumbling in the same basic tone as Helena's rant and I felt the humor pulling at my nerves. "Hel, can you get the hover twins over here off my case?"

"Don't look at me, I'm still one of the hoverees, remember? Welcome to the gimp squad, Fuzzy."

"You're no help."

"You're welcome."

I couldn't stand it anymore and felt it bubble up from deep inside to erupt like a long-dormant volcano. Helena had always been a riot, but the twins really brought out that quality in her. I laughed and laughed until my sides ached and there were tears blinding me. It was cathartic. Just as I was winding down, I heard Gabby's voice smirk, "I see where you get it from."

Exploding into laughter again, I knew that she would fit in just fine.

I was still giggling and hiccupping when I saw one of the twins, Ro I guessed, lean over me to place both hands on the chair arms. It brought her well into my personal space and set me off all a-flustered again. Especially when she did the nose and cheek rub with me, after delicately licking at the salty tracks on my skin. It was both sensual and comforting. Obviously, I had a fetish for the animalistic types if my responses to both her and Helena were any indication. Not that I was really surprised. They called to my wild side, the part of me that had survived all manner of trials, the part of me that had driven Batgirl. The part of me that drove me beyond mere endurance and sometimes to sheer madness. There was sympathy and gentle humor on the beautiful, furry face. "Dinah is pouring her guts out and Shan is sleeping. I like Gabby, she seems intelligent and down-to-earth."

"I agree. This is going to be so strange."

"Because she's a student?"

"In part," my voice trailed away as my ever-present guilt surged up again, effectively killing the humor. "We've never told you what happened here, have we?"

"No," she encouraged softly and again sat carefully between two of the Delphi monitors. Once again, the tail snaked out to wrap around my ankle and I found it to be oddly comforting. It came in fits and starts, the tale of what had happened inside these walls. I had to go back and remember meeting Wade, remember holding back from his gentle wooing. I'd given in simply because I had no reason not to. He'd been so undemanding and… normal. He was everything that I could never be, and that I could never really have. He was a pipe dream that died because of the darkness that I fought with every fiber of my being.

I remembered the feel of Harley's battered body pinned against the railing, the batons at her throat. I had been so ready to kill her… it would have been so damn easy. The spinal coupler had burned along my nerves like acid and Wade's blood torched my soul.

He died because of me, because I had wanted the normalcy of what he offered me so damn bad. I hadn't loved him, but the ideal of him. It was perhaps the greatest weakness of the shadowy life of the vigilante. The balance of the shadow and the light, between the normal and the harsh realities of the Life.

In time, the pain ran its course like water freed from behind a dam. It left behind a scoured soul, raw and painful, but cleaner and calmer. I had moved at some point, my face buried in Ro's stomach, my arms crushingly tight around her waist. Helena was draped over the back of my chair, head on my shoulder, hands gentle on my waist.

"Some things make more sense now," Ro purred softly as she pet my hair in long, sensuous strokes. "You all have been through so much. Thank you for trusting me with your pain, I won't betray you, not willingly."

Something about the words unlocked a tension in Helena I hadn't even noticed. It had been her hypnotized brain that had provided Harley with the means to nearly destroy us. Harley's stolen Metahuman power to hypnotize had put the Huntress utterly under her sway. Helena had come to kill me, had spilled every scrap of information asked of her. Harley had invaded our sanctuary, taken over my Delphi, threatened Alfred and killed Wade.

"Never willingly," Ro hummed almost soundlessly, stroking us both with calm, loving hands. I had to move an arm to grasp Helena's skull so tight to mine that I felt the pain of it wash through me in a healing wave.

"Never willingly," Helena whispered in a choked voice and at long last… I forgave her completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The choice of this song should be obvious by the lyrics. As the growing family of New Gotham's superheroes begins to gel further, the sentiment of this song is very illustrating. When I listen to this tune, there seems to be something almost defiant about it, as though the singers are determined to stand by their ideals no matter what people might think of them. This is also the chapter where I finally got to use Gabby! Loved that character, and she's been a delight. By giving the reader her POV of being the 'normal' one in the bunch, it grounds the wildness of the tale.
> 
> Affirmation  
> By Savage Garden
> 
> I believe the sun should never set upon an argument   
> I believe we place our happiness in other people's hands  
> I believe that junk food tastes so good because it's bad for you  
> I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do  
> I believe that beauty magazines promote low self-esteem  
> I believe I'm loved when I'm completely by myself alone
> 
> (Chorus)  
> I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned  
> I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned  
> I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side  
> I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye
> 
> I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality  
> I believe that trust is more important than monogamy  
> I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul  
> I believe that family is worth more than money or gold  
> I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair  
> I believe the only ones who disagree are millionaires
> 
> (Chorus)
> 
> I believe forgiveness is the key to your unhappiness  
> I believe that wedded bliss negates the need to be undressed  
> I believe that God does not endorse TV evangelists  
> I believe in love surviving death into eternity
> 
> (Chorus)


	5. Truly, Madly, Deeply

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Harley is on their trail, the Birds and their new packmates need a safer place to retreat.

++ Dinah ++

I sat among my swirl of conflicted emotions and tried to ride out the hurricane. It was like my soul was trying to escape…

At long last I could level with my best friend… and I had no idea where to even start. Add in the lingering endorphins from the fight earlier, the whole hit by a car thing and Shan's continued touchy-feeliness… I was ready to scream. We three had commandeered the workout room so that we could drag in piles of bedding and cushions for a proper slumber party. From my room just down the hall, I listened to Gabby's voice. "Mom, please. I'm at Dinah's place, how much trouble could I get into? Yeah, I know I've never been here before, but Miss Gordon was uncomfortable with having a student around. Yes, sophomore English… the cool one that did the Shakespeare readings in class. Yeah, you do remember, cool. I dunno why she's suddenly okay with it, but Dinah needs some girl time. Oh ha ha, very funny. Yes! No! Okay, okay, I'll tell her, I promise. I'll get it tomorrow, I promise. G'nite mom, love you too."

Something clenched up hard and tight inside me.

G'nite mom, love you too.

Fire, the spiderweb of ropes, the pride and pain in her eyes.

G'nite mom, love you too.

All those years wasted…

Her death because she had come back for me.

G'nite mom, love you too.

Tortured by my own memories, I jerked to my feet. Half blind with tears, I lurched over to the punching bag. Something had to give, something had to break, the pain was gonna eat me alive, tear me limb from limb in its desperation to get out. After holding it in for so long, letting it free was a terrifying flood that I wasn't certain I could survive.

It was rote to yank on the padded half gloves, slap the Velcro sloppily shut around my wrists. Only months of Helena smacking me in the head to remember made my body protect itself even that much. Cowhide and sand shuddered under the impact of my fist. The shock echoed up my arm, rattled across my shoulder, spine and skull. That shock wave cracked the gates, started the trickle that would become the flood. Terrified, but needing it so bad that I physically ached, I poured myself into attacking the bag. I'd done it before, had learned from the master of punching-bag catharsis, but this time was different.

Agony and tears choked me, made my lungs ache…

My mother's face, so full of pride as I reached out with everything I had to pull off that goddamn collar…

I couldn't stop the flames…

I couldn't save her.

 

++ Shan ++

The pain in Dinah's blue eyes was so close to the surface. Since the moment I had first met the pale gaze, I knew this moment would come. Gabby stepped hesitantly into the room, eyes fixed on the drama being played out. It took a moment for her to obey my 'come-hither' wave, slinking across the room like a nervous cat. At my side, she sank to the bedding and almost leaned up against me to watch Dinah in silence.

"This is the kind of pain that few understand," I whispered softly. "She needs this, but she'll need you once she falls apart. You'll see what I mean."

I had done this myself. When the pressure got to be too much, the pain and loss and sorrow was like a deadly infection. It had to be lanced.

The girl was stronger than she looked; the dead weight of the bag was really pushing back now. Her thin t-shirt was wet with sweat, tendrils of soaked hair escaping from the loose ponytail to frame her flushed face. Dinah's features wore a twisted grimace of pain that had nothing to do with the punishing blows to the bag. Something had to give.

And boy, did something give.

I had gathered that Dinah was more powerful than most realized, but I hadn't even been able to hazard a guess until I saw that three-ton car fly. Staggering back, she flung her hands at the bag, a strangled cry of rage tearing loose from her throat.

And the wall shattered like glass.

The bag burst like a balloon, equipment exploded and a dust cloud roared out to fill the room. I was utterly stunned by the display, frozen with the realization of what I had seen. It was loose, the rabid beast of pain inside her, crying for relief in the fog of dust. Grabbing Gabby, I waded in, my safety be damned. Every animal instinct in my psyche responded to that wounded sound, that incoherent and guttural plea for help.

We nearly tackled Dinah in a clinging dogpile of a hug as the dust settled. There was some half-empty storeroom beyond the physical manifestation of her pain. It looked like most of the crates and random bits of things there were in poor condition at best. "Oh God… mom," Dinah sobbed brokenly. "I… couldn't save her!" The punishing grip on my bruised ribs made me wince, but I took the pressure for her sake. "I couldn't save her! I watched her die! And… and…"

There was movement in the corner of my eye. The flicker of darkness and quicksilver speed, her slitted red eyes nearly gleaming in the damaged lighting of the big room. Like a ghost, or a memory, the Huntress glided across the floor. All threat and comfort, she reached out a hand for the young woman who had been her fighting companion for so long.

"C'mon kid," she whispered in a voice heavy with her own pain. "You don't have to do this one without me."

It was a sobering moment, watching them embrace tightly, drawing strength from the other.

"We'll always remember them, right? It's the best legacy we can give them both. I'm sorry I wasn't ready to be there for you before, but I am now. Just let it out."

My own losses welled up as I watched them share tears. Smith had come for us, destroyed the only family and normalcy we had ever known. His lackeys had driven Miss Honey insane, destroyed her reputation in the little town she loved so much. My mind shied away from the memories of the woman, gray and unfocused, barely a wispy shadow of her formal self. There was so much evil and pain that had damaged all of us…

Where did it end?

++ Gabby ++

It was my own, personal episode of the twilight zone. The whole gang of them dragged in more blankets and pillows and workout mats until there was a massive nest we could all curl up in like a litter of puppies. They told me about this life they led, scouring the city for crime and the sacrifices they and their families had made. Little of the details made sense, but I got the gist of the pain and triumphs. Dinah lay sprawled between Helena and I, with the twins curled together with Miss Gordon nearby. The woman they had introduced as Davie stayed close, watching over the interactions with calm dark eyes. In those hours of darkness I learned more about the city I had lived in all my life than I thought was possible. I heard all the stories as a kid about how the earthquake had destroyed Gotham. My parents had been among those young hopefuls drawn to the rubble to rebuild and I had grown up with the modern metropolis. Helena and Miss Gordon had seen it first hand and our differences in age, status and background made the picture of our home city all the richer.

The others were transplants, drawn to the growth and a variety of needs to be here among the chaos of New Gotham. Dinah had been dragged here by a vision of the destruction of two lives. The shared pain of Helena's murdered mother and the agony of the bullet that had put Miss Gordon in the wheelchair. I didn't pretend to understand what the whole telepathy and telekinesis meant; I just took them at their word.

It was sobering to realize the depth of dedication these women had. No matter what life threw at them, they continued to dedicate themselves to a city that had no clue they even existed, much less what this life cost them. That kind of selflessness sobered me, making me really feel what they did. I was a part of this now, and I would do right by them.

After some sleep, I felt both better and worse. My internal clock was all screwed up by the long, emotional night, and I had no clue what time it was. Some corner of my brain told me that I was late, before another corner smacked it with the knowledge that it was Saturday. Damn good thing too, because I sure as hell felt like the morning after. I had fallen asleep curled up half beside and half against Dinah's sprawled body. In sleep, she was more relaxed, but the pain still lingered around her eyes and mouth. On her other side, Helena sprawled loosely with the same expression on her features. Once more vowing to keep their trust, I gently set my hand on Dinah's stomach. She woke with a jerk that nearly set her elbow crashing into my skull.

"Hey, just me. You could use a shower I'll bet and I'll stand watch, 'kay?"

Carefully, we slipped away from the pile of bodies and off to Dinah's room. She was filthy from her workout last night and the dust that had clung to her. Honestly, she looked like some kind of holocaust victim. I needed one too, but not as bad as she did. Poor D still looked kinda shell shocked by her emotional night and I took her in hand. There was a dresser that I scrounged into, hoping there wasn't anything embarrassing stashed away. Thankfully, I came up with sweats and a baggy shirt with no incident.

"Where's your towel?" With towel and clean clothes in hand, I tugged her to the bathroom. "Go shower and I'll be right here, okay? I'm just gonna grab your desk chair and something to read."

"Gabby?" God she sounded awful. "Thank you."

It was easy to hug her, and I put every ounce of my strength behind the embrace. "You're welcome. Anytime." We stood there like that for a long while until Dinah sighed softly and leaned back to grin weakly.

"I knew I could trust you."

"Yep. Now shower. I'll be right here."

Once the door shut, I slumped down the wall, completely forgetting about the nearby chair. My whole world had been turned upside-down in a night. My best friend was what I would have thought was a freak only a day ago. She was a night vigilante that fought crimes that would baffle the police. There were hundreds of Metahumans like her. Good and bad, they lived in deliberate obscurity because they knew that the world wouldn't accept them. As though conjured by my thoughts, one of the twins appeared in the doorway to my right to look around. For a brief moment I was able to just look at her through the lens of all my new information.

They would never be accepted by the normal people. All that people would see was the sinuous tails and the while fur. It made my heart hurt; because I got really good vibes from both of them and Shan had obviously been a good pal to Dinah.

"Hey," the twin greeted me softly and I realized by the stiffness in her movements that it was indeed Shan.

"Shower," I answered the unspoken question and watched her sniff at the air like a dog. "She's gonna be okay. I always knew there was more to Dinah than meets the eye; it's one of the things that kept me fascinated with her. She just needs somebody to lean on for awhile 'til she gets her strength back, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know," Shan grinned and carefully lowered herself down beside me with a groan. "She caught my eye from the start, mask and all."

"Mask?"

"Yeah, she wears a half mask on patrol. Hell, I wear a full armored helmet. Protects the identity in her case and keeps people from freaking over my looks in me and Ro's case."

I wasn't sure how to respond to the resignation in her tone. She was right, no matter how much anyone might want to object. Even now, I wanted to stare at her exotic animal fur and ears. It was too easy to forget the kind personality behind them. The resigned sadness in her eyes spoke volumes when she held my fascinated gaze.

"That sucks," was the most eloquent thing I could come up with and earned a quirky little grin. "She likes you a lot, y'know."

Shyly, Shan ducked her head down to hide behind her crossed arms. "Yeah," she mumbled. "I like her too. A lot."

"I like you too."

And that simple statement earned me a big, happy smile that made the morning much brighter.

 

++ Ro ++

Something tickled firmly into my ribs, prodding deep into that soft spot just below the curved bones. Binky shot out as my brain stirred to life and caught at the offensive poking object. Helena giggled at the grip around her ankle and wiggled her toes into my side again. I finally cracked open an eye as Binky jerked hard at Helena's weight. "Alright you pain," I groused good-naturedly. "I'm up. Now c'mere." Since Barbara was cuddled up against my chest and Davie was at my back, Helena took the dent in the bedding where Shan had lain recently. She leaned over Barbara to nuzzle at me for a moment, and then pressed affectionate kisses to the red hair before snuggling in.

"We needed to talk about that," she mused softly and Barbara stirred lazily. "I'm actually kinda glad that it's out in the open now. Avoiding talking about our moms wasn't doing either of us any good. At least the workout room is bigger now."

The abrupt change in subject made me blink for a moment, then Helena smirked and gestured behind me. In the emotional storms, I had forgotten about the damage that Dinah had caused. Nearly the entire back wall was blown out, scattered debris making it look as though a grenade had gone off. "Wow."

"Yeah. I never realized the kid had it in her. I'd hazard a guess that the 'kinesis is affected by her emotional state." I gave her my best 'duh' look and earned a playful slap on the hip. "Smartass. Gonna have to find a good therapist that won't turn out to be a sociopath," she added and rolled her eyes. I remembered the story from last night about the woman who had attacked the teens from the alleyway. There was a blood feud shaping up fast and it was going to be an ugly one. I already knew where my talents were going unless they sent me and my packmates away.

"I want to stay."

Yep, that had been my voice that said that. I hastened to explain myself.

"I want to stay because I like you and Barbara and Dinah and Gabby and Alfred. I want you to let me stand with you in this. I want them back in Arkham. I want a family."

The confession stopped me cold, the fear of rejection freezing me. There was a strange look on Helena's face. It was a distant, thoughtful expression and when she spoke, it was as though she were a million miles away. "We can't stay here, it's not safe anymore. It hasn't been safe for a long time, but this is home." Her nose wrinkled up in fearful distaste and I nearly grinned at the expression. "I guess this means I need to deal with my daddy issues, huh?" Not having a clue what she was talking about, I nodded anyway, figuring that she would explain herself in time. Determination replaced the vagueness and Helena leaned over Barbara to give me a quick, hard kiss. "I'd like you to stay, and I'll bet we could get the boss lady here to agree." Ducking down to rub up and nip at Barbara's half-exposed ear, Helena purred out her name until the redhead stirred and moaned lazily. "Barbara. C'mon sexy, up and at 'em."

"Mmmm… what? Where?"

"How hard will it be to move the Delphi?"

The deer-in-the-headlights expression on Barbara's normally composed face was hysterical but I fought down my inappropriate laughter.

"Move? Move the Delphi? What are you talking about?"

"The kid's been nagging me off and on that we should move to the manor. I'm admitting that she's right; we're not safe here anymore. I hate to uproot you, but I won't have them come after you or anyone else. Please Barbara."

Her tone was soft and pleading and Barbara was still trying to wake up enough to process what was going on. "You want to move to the manor? You've been adamant about not being near that place since you were seventeen."

"My family wasn't in danger before. Not like this."

While I might not understand what they meant by 'the manor', I could see that this was an old issue between them. Barbara nodded and cupped Helena's cheek tenderly. "I'm proud of you. I'll get the wheels in motion just as soon as I can get up. There's going to be a ton of paperwork and things you understand."

"Yeah, I know, but I've put it off long enough. Let's put daddy's millions to good use, huh?" Millions? What the hell was she talking about? "Oh, and Ro here wants to stay." Now the green eyes swung over to me and I smiled weakly.

"If you'll have us."

"I'd like that, Ro. Go check on your sister and the girls. Things are about to get crazy around here."

Helena was up in a flurry of motion and had Barbara back in her chair before she scampered out. "What did I miss, Leo?" Davie asked and I glanced back into her night-black eyes.

"Honestly, I have little idea. I'm missing pieces of the puzzle, but Barbara and Helena will fill us in once they realize we have no clue."

"You do know who owns this building, don't you?"

"What?"

"Actually, about half of New Gotham."

"What does that have to do with…" and the pieces started to click together. "You think her father is Bruce Wayne?"

"That's exactly what I think. And no, I didn't scan her. I've met the man a few times and there are… similarities between them. It fits with the 'millions' comment."

"How do you know this?"

"I have connections, Leo, m'boy."

There was no doubt in my mind that there was a much larger story behind the nibblets I was being given by all parties, but there was no getting past that expression. Davie could be utterly implacable if she needed to be. I would school my patience and bide my time until all the pieces were in my hands. Nothing like a great hunt to get me fired up!

On the balcony outside, I glanced down to see Barbara deeply engrossed in the Delphi and Helena was nowhere to be seen. Just to my right, movement drew my eye to where Shan stepped out of the bathroom. "The girls are in Dinah's room."

Rubbing noses with her, I took stock of my twin's appearance. She was stressed and tired from all this unknown with Dinah and the others. "We can stay. And it appears we'll be helping them move to some manor somewhere."

"What? Really? When did all this happen?"

"How's your back?"

"Sore. Don't change the subject."

"I'm not. That's all I know."

"We can stay?"

It was a profound and scary thing these women had offered us. We were too small a pack, we three. We were desperate for socialization and company. These three strangers and their packmates of Alfred and now Gabby, were fulfilling a need we had never really acknowledged. Now we would earn our place in this new pack that was forming. Abruptly, I grinned and dragged Shan down the hallway. "C'mon, let's tell the girls."

 

++ Davie ++

With the twins firmly ensconced with the teens and Helena engrossed in this sudden upcoming move, I was left at loose ends. "Would you like some help packing?" I finally broke in and both Barbara and Helena blinked blankly at me. Then the blue eyes turned thoughtful.

"Guess I need to get rid of my apartment, huh? And Drake's pretty much sick of my wacked schedule… so…"

"You sure you want to give that up?" Barbara asked softly and Helena grinned.

"I want blonde and psycho locked up, and Clayface and whoever the hell else is stupid enough to stand with her. Wonder if dad would be proud that we rate our own reoccurring badguy."

Both Barbara and I chuckled darkly over that one. That's how I found myself halfway across town helping Helena pack. It was a typical bachelor pad, except that it was conveniently located above the bar she would no longer be working at. "This place is cool," I commented neutrally and she grinned wickedly.

"It's a single woman's filthy den of sin, admit it."

She was a riot and I smiled willingly. "If you insist. Good thing I'm not your average nun, or I'd take a ruler to you young lady."

"Tease."

After a few hours of bantering back and forth, most of her stuff was packed in a few boxes and she was noticeably favoring that arm.

"I'm not much for things," Helena explained absently as she rubbed her broken collarbone. "And most of my crap is still in the clocktower, unless Dinah's temper tantrum on the wall busted them all up. Mom's stuff." That enigmatic comment was accompanied by a one-armed shrug. "Would you like a drink? I need to go have that conversation with my boss downstairs."

"Sure."

The Dark Horse bar was a surprisingly tasteful place, in that ultra modern, slick kind of way. The thin crowd was mostly young and beautiful and on the prowl. I could see that the place appealed to Helena's animal instincts. The good-looking fellow behind the bar grinned flirtatiously and brought my white wine promptly, so I made certain to leave him a decent tip. When Helena left the back room, she looked sad, relieved and a bit irritated. "And I can't even drink because of the painkillers," she muttered in annoyance as she commandeered the stool next to me and waved the bartender off. "Drake was already thinking he was gonna need to replace me. Guess I've been spending too much time away from here."

"The life'll do that to you," I sympathized and she scowled. "You thought you were immune?"

"Not… immune exactly. I've just tried so hard to be above it. Barbara's always tried to get me to follow the stereotype and I hate it."

"Stereotype?"

"Yeah the whole wear-a-mask and lurk in the shadows and have no damn life stereotype." Before I could comment further, she sighed heavily and wouldn't meet my eyes. "And I think that maybe she was right all this time."

"She does seem the type," I soothed quietly and earned a curious look.

"Type?"

"To be right."

That comment made Helena chuckle, half in annoyance and half with an adoration that warmed me. "Yeah, she is that. I think I need to get home and bitch and complain and suck up now. Someone can be hired to come get those boxes tomorrow."

"Sure. Lead the way."

The ride back to the clocktower was mostly a comfortable quiet, broken up by a few rounds of our earlier bantering. Once we stepped into the living area up top, even I felt the change to the space around us. Ro was seated at the Delphi, knees tucked up under her chin, looking broody and bored. "How'd it go?"

For a moment, neither Helena nor I answered, as I was watching the Huntress in action. The second she'd stepped into this space, she'd dropped into alert and threatened prowling mode. The change in the place was affecting her deeply. "They're gone," she growled and Ro looked shocked.

"No! Helena, not like that. Alfred took your pack to the manor. Barbara asked me to watch the Delphi while she was gone. Shan's cleaning up the workout room."

For a long moment there was no reaction, those blue eyes shading red sweeping over the space that felt so different already. Then I realized that things had already been moved around. Half of the monitors for Delphi were missing, and the living area was half packed up. That's what was affecting Helena so deeply.

"Guess I wasn't ready for how different this place was gonna feel now that we're leaving."

"Helena?" Barbara's voice sounded out softly from the speakers. "We made it here safely and the security system is as kick-ass as I remember. Did your afternoon go okay?"

Drawn by the voice, Helena wandered over to stand beside Ro, looking up at the huge central monitor as though searching for her partner. "Yeah. It's just weird not having either of you here."

"Hey," Dinah chuckled wearily. "That's sweet. This place rocks; I think you're going to like it here. It's like a big old stuffy college."

"Where's Gabby?"

"We took her home. There's a lot of questions and explanations that we'd have to go over because of this place. It seemed easier if the two of us came here."

"Is she safe?"

"I… I don't know," Dinah said in a tight, fearful voice.

 

++ Helena ++

I understood Dinah's fear all too well. There were few that could be close to us, as secrets drove wedges into relationships. Despite my unease over the changes to the clocktower, I sucked it up and turned to Davie. "C'mon, we're going to go get her. Ro, see if you can scrounge together with Barbara to have Gabby's family win some trip or something. Get them out of New Gotham for a while until we nail Harley. Shan!" The other twin poked her head out of the room upstairs and cocked her head quizzically. "Stay alert, in case we need you."

"You got it," Shan called out as Davie and I scrambled for whatever gear we were going to take along. While I normally wouldn't bother with weapons, my damn shoulder ached. A couple of painkillers, a change into work clothes and I was ready. Only moments later, Davie stepped out in her armor.

"Let's do this," Davie muttered and yanked on some thick gloves. The twins watched us go in silence.

What the hell had Barbara and Dinah been thinking? They just sent Gabby home, after Harley had seen her? I was seeing red at how ugly this could potentially get. Throwing myself behind the wheel of the beautiful old '69 Corvette, I turned the key and the engine roared to life. "Okay, Leo, give me an address," I spoke out clearly so that the com picked up my voice.

"On it. Head down Madison towards the docks, her building isn't far from them. I'll guide you from there."

"Thanks."

" _You okay?_ "

"Peachy," I growled and paused. The voice hadn't sounded right, the internal stimuli foreign to me. A spare glance at the telepath beside me only earned that calm gaze she was better at than even Barbara. "I'm worried."

"I know. So am I."

"Okay," Ro suddenly piped up in my ear. "Turn left onto Miller. We've got a local contest rigged, Barbara had to give me a hand from the manor, but we pulled it off. She's on your forth left, which is Oak Grove. Look for the Brentwood apartments and she's unit 212. I'm making the phone call now to give them the good news. Play stupid."

"Y'know, I could almost be insulted."

Ro just chuckled softly in my ears as we searched for a parking spot. The building wasn't the greatest, but it was no slum either. There was no kind of real security and I was relieved that I could help get Gabby's family out of potential harm's way. Davie was looking even more overheated in her armor than I was in my clubbing/patrol gear.

" _I'll stay back here. I don't think the outfit really fits the occasion._ "

Focusing on Davie's internal 'voice', I broadcasted back, " _okay. Keep an ear out on me_." I could see her startled expression as I tossed her my keys. " _And don't mess my car up_."

" _Yes dear_ ," Davie snorted and vanished into the warm evening. I stepped forward to deal with the all American blue-collar family alone. The giggling woman that answered the door was teary-eyed with happiness and trying to be polite. I couldn't help but grin winningly. "Yes?" She said. "Can I help you?"

"Wow, you look like you're having a great day. I'm a pal of your daughter's. We were supposed to go play tonight."

Okay, dressed like I was, maybe 'play' was a bad word. "Hussy," Ro chuckled into my ear and I refrained from scowling. Mom eyed me for a moment before bursting into peals of laughter. Gabby and an equally blonde boy of perhaps nine or so poked their heads around the corner. Both looked surprised at my presence.

"Hey Gabs," I called out jovially. "Dinah sent me over to retrieve you so that we can hang out." Than made mom focus again.

"You know Dinah?"

"Yep, I'm her adopted sister, Helena Kyle, pleased to meet you. I figured I'd be a chaperone, not that the girls need it, they're both great."

"Suck up," Ro taunted and I wanted to smack her. Mom seemed impressed by the Kyle charm though, and smiled winningly.

"Well, come in. The household's in a bit of an uproar right now. We just received some amazing news."

"Really? Good, I hope."

"Yeah!" The boy exploded. "We won a trip to Disneyland! And a bunch of other cool places in Los Angeles! We leave tonight! My dad's boss just called and said it was a work thing and we were cool to go!" Seemingly embarrassed by his enthusiasm to a stranger, the boy vanished again and his mother chuckled.

"We're excited and shocked. It was some kind of Wayne Industries drawing and we were the lucky employees," Mom gushed and I felt suddenly very, very odd. My father, absent all these years, dead or alive somewhere, and I was inheriting an empire I could barely wrap my brain around. Wonder if she'd pass out if I told her who I was?

" _Probably_."

Davie's 'voice' startled me and made me think. After closing the door, Gabby's mom returned to the bowels of the apartment, leaving me with the curious daughter. "I'll make up for you missing the trip," I explained quietly. "But we need to get you somewhere safe and them out from underfoot. I'll make up the missed trip to you later, I promise."

"Oh, I'm sure you're as good as your word, Helena Kyle," Gabby grinned slowly, the suggestiveness in her tone unmistakable. "Come in and help me bullshit my way out of this."

I'd had to drag 'Miss Gordon's' name into it more than once, but since Gabby was eighteen and needed to study for finals and not go play, the parental units finally caved. By the time they and the brother, a shy cutie named Sam, were ready to go, I was cat-on-caffeine jumpy about a surprise attack. Ro, the Oracle sub, had a shuttle bus waiting that we followed closely to the airport to ensure their safety. Only after the plane's lights vanished into the night did my tension subside even a little.

"So, now what?" Gabby asked matter-of-factly.

"Now we keep you safe," I shrugged and led the way back to my car. Something was nagging me like mad.

" _So, just ask her already. Sheesh_." Davie taunted and I realized that she was doing it to get me to open up. " _To get what you want from your inheritance, you're going to get put through the wringer. This might be good practice_."

"Right," I muttered as we headed back to the city. Gabby eyed me strangely from the backseat. "Hey Gabby. Does your dad like working for Wayne Industries?"

"He seems okay with it. I mean, it's like any big company, right? There's good and bad. It'll be a long time before he can retire and he gets frustrated trying to support me and Sam and my mom. College is gonna be a bitch, that's why I'm waiting at least a year, so I can get a job and some money. My folks take great care of me and Sam, but we don't live fancy, y'know?"

This was the part I knew I was going to hate, the massive gulf that the Wayne money would put between me and the rest of mere humanity. It was bad enough that my shadow life was like that. Mom was no slouch for money and success, but Bruce Wayne was in a rare class of the insanely rich and powerful. And Barbara was starting the wheels that would make it mine.

"So, if I told you I was Bruce Wayne's only blood heir, what would you say?" I couldn't fault the teen for the bark of laughter.

"That'd be wild," Gabby cackled and something caught my eye. All talk of Wayne Industries was forgotten, as my secret identity was called for once more. It was a ship, far out on the docks and there was just… something about it and the activity around it.

 

++ Davie ++

I picked up instantly on Helena's shift in perspective and followed suit. The predator was active now and she was on the hunt. Smoothly, she pulled into a spot and killed the engine. "See that cargo ship at the end of the pier?" She hurriedly pointed out and I looked. From this distance, it was hard to see any details, but I tried. Then a pair of binoculars was yanked out of the glove compartment at my knees and shoved into my hands. "Take a look and tell me that doesn't look a drug shipment."

Her suspicion was enough for me to look through the optical lenses and focus my power along my line of sight. From this distance, I wouldn't be getting any details, but that wasn't what I was after anyway. There was a man with a clipboard, his mannerisms screaming 'supervisor'. Only, the cut of his clothes didn't suit this dirty place or the nearly complete darkness of this dark corner of New Gotham's western docks. His surface thoughts were nervous, yet icy calm about what he was doing, and who was above him in the chain of command and the illegal nature of his powdered cargo. It was enough for me.

"Care for some backup?"

"Yeah, I suppose I should. Shan, you up to it?"

I felt outward with my powers, searching for Shan's familiar mind, separating it from Ro's. They were so far away that I had to close my eyes and tune everything else out for long moments. Like filtering out a single conversation in a noisy room, I focused in on Shan's mind until the bond was nice and tight. Gripping the link with sheer willpower, I slitted open my eyes and focused on the surroundings. This was never easy, giving the twins coordinates, and I had to be absolutely certain I knew where I was sending them. The potential repercussion of sending them to the wrong place, or time, was mind-boggling. Without consciously moving, I was out of the car and vaulting up onto the hood. Helena's bark of annoyance was ignored as I climbed onto the roof and got my bearings.

" _Got it_." Shan whispered softly and I stepped back down onto the hood. From the corner of my eye, I could see Gabby lean out of the open car door curiously. Then Shan materialized out of nowhere, like a frame of film. First the space there was empty, and then her body was thumping down onto the car to crouch and catch her breath.

"Wow," Gabby breathed. "That is the neatest trick."

"Paintjob!" Helena roared. "Hello! Get the hell off!" Giggling guiltily, Shan and I dropped to the filthy pavement and got into the mindset of 'serve and protect.' "Pains in my ass," Helena grumbled as she climbed out of the car and slammed the door. "Are you up to a fight, Shan?"

"Yeah, I should be fine, just stiff and a little sore. The car was only a glancing hit and not moving all that fast. Good thing that commuter had decent reflexes. You can count on me."

"Okay. Davie, there's a fire escape over there where you can keep an eye on us and keep Gabby close. Out on the street like this isn't safe."

"Deal," I agreed easily and crooked a finger at Gabby to get out of the car. "Leave me the keys in case we need to make a quick getaway."

"Good idea, just don't mess up the paint anymore." Pressing the button to set the automatic system up, Helena tossed me the keys and settled her coat more securely around her body. "Ready partner?"

"Lead the way," Shan replied and, like figments of the imagination, they vanished into the night.

That left me to go to the fire escape, only to find the bottom ladder well above my head. "It's at times like this that the world is conspiring to make me feel very short," I growled and Gabby suppressed a snerk of amusement. So I turned and gave her a mockingly dark look, couching and offering my linked fingers as a step up. "You go get the ladder then."

Gamely, Gabby stepped into my hands and let me haul her up to grab the retracted emergency ladder. We were quickly at a vantage point where we could watch the boat and I settled in to watch the fight through Shan's eyes and help where I could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an odd choice for this chapter, more of a foreshadowing of later events then what actually happened. As Shan, Dinah and Gabby interacted, I could see parts of this song being very true. Without the sexual overtones, it also reminds me a bit of what could have been with Dinah and Carolyn.
> 
> Truly, Madly, Deeply  
> By Savage Garden
> 
> I'll be your dream  
> I'll be your wish I'll be your fantasy  
> I'll be your hope  
> I'll be your love be everything that you need  
> I love you more with every breath truly madly deeply do  
> I will be strong I will be faithful  
> 'Cause I'm counting on  
> A new beginning  
> A reason for living  
> A deeper meaning
> 
> (Chorus)  
> I want to stand with you on a mountain  
> I want to bathe with you in the sea  
> I want to lay like this forever  
> 'Til the sky falls down on me
> 
> And when the stars are shining brightly in the velvet sky  
> I'll make a wish send it to heaven then make you want to cry  
> The tears of joy for all the pleasure and the certainty  
> That we're surrounded by the comfort and protection of  
> The highest power  
> In lonely hours  
> The tears devour you
> 
> (Chorus)
> 
> Oh can't you see it baby?  
> You don't have to close your eyes  
> 'Cause it's standing right before you  
> All that you need will surely come  
> I'll be your dream  
> I'll be your wish I'll be your fantasy  
> I'll be your hope  
> I'll be your love be everything that you need  
> I'll love you more with every breath truly madly deeply do
> 
> (Chorus)


	6. Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Off to set up shop at the manor!

++ Shan ++

"Be careful," Ro warned us through the com link. We'd spent all day modifying my helmet to interface with the Delphi, and now we'd find out what the system could do for us. "There's no one scheduled to use that dock, so your hunch that this is some kind of illegal operation is damn likely. I can't get any real specific info for you, I'm not the miracle worker, but I'll keep an eye out as best I can. If things get ugly, I'm 'porting in."

"Got it," Helena agreed softly as we crept closer to our goal. The sounds of voices grew louder as we slunk among the cargo to get as close as possible. Close enough to get a nose full of their collective stench, Helena and I traded eager glances and I watched her eyes flare red and the pupils pull into tight vertical slits.

It was time to kick some ass.

Helena went at them headfirst while I performed a flying leap from above worthy of my monkey genes. These idiots were thugs, brutish forces of muscles and little brains. We had both and had no problem beating the hell out them with either. The idiots did as much damage to one another as they were trying to do to us. A few lucky hits landed, but they only made me angrier and more feral. There were no words for the feel of the animal energy in my veins, the release of the primitive needs I strove so hard to confine. It was hard to not seriously hurt them, rake them with teeth and claws and break their bones. Every instinct in my genes wanted them unable to hurt me or my packmates. They needed to be stopped by any means necessary. I knew that I hurt the bad guys worse than was always necessary. I couldn't help myself. Fists, feet, elbows, face shield, and Slinky beat a swath through the drug dealers as Helena and I approached the boat.

It took a surprisingly long time for the bullets to start ringing out. Now the fight got trickier as we were forced to keep the wall of thugs between the shooters and ourselves. I was actually winged twice, being the larger and slower of the two opponents. Huntress snarled and sassed her way through the trash and performed a superhuman leap onto the boat to trounce the gunmen.

"Shan! Squeaker, the police are coming! Huntress, get the hell out of there," Ro yelled into my ear, burning through the haze of instincts and pain. All my sore muscles were crying for mercy now. Even as I looked around for Huntress, she leapt off the boat and landed gracefully beside me.

"There are a few dozen more onboard, but they won't be able to get away. Unfortunately, neither can we."

"Oh, please," I snorted and grabbed her by both arms. The memory of the roof of the Corvette was still strong in my mind and the familiar darkness swallowed us both. She was struggling and snarling as we rematerialized a foot above the black paint to thump solidly down. "Holy shit! What was that?!?" Helena yelled in alarm.

"Congrats," Ro chuckled throatily through the com. "You've been teleported."

" _Davie! C'mon_ ," I yelled internally as I realized that the fire escape was empty.

" _We're finishing up some business. Just give me a minute_."

" _We don't have a minute! I can already hear sirens!_ "

This was my greatest fear. The authorities would get their hands on me and I would wake up in the confines of that lab. I was damp with chilled sweat at the mere thought. "C'mon," Helena muttered under her breath, anxiously bouncing on the balls of her feet beside the car. "C'mon."

I could catch wisps of a fearful pair of men, a determined Gabby, running through dark staircases. " _Hurry!_ " I yelled and it seemed like a lifetime before the two women crashed through the door of the building they'd been hiding out in.

We barely escaped the sweep of the police lights.

++ Gabby ++

Davie didn't want me following her to the top of the building, that much was glaringly obvious, but I was gonna stick to her like glue, dammit! I had been terrified and thrilled to watch the anarchy of the fight through the binoculars. Then Davie had gone to the top of the building and the fight was suddenly very personal. Man, she could move like a prizefighter, like someone from a martial arts movie. But I had never heard the crunch of real bones breaking or really heard a person scream in pain. It was horrifying.

Then the guy with the broken arm got up and there was something in his eye that made my whole body go cold. He really meant to do something awful to Davie and she was occupied with the other guy. Something clicked in me, some deep and primitive place that kept our species from dying out. I lashed out with legs made strong from a lifetime of serious swimming, punched him dead in the face with every ounce of fear in me.

It was agony. Not just the swamping pain in my hand, but the feel of his punished flesh and the noise it made. I was too horrified to move, Davie was grabbing me, dragging me down what felt like a thousand stairs in total blackness while my mind ran in panicked, gibbering circles.

Shan grabbed me, tossed me roughly into the kitted-out backseat of the car and was so close on my heels that I was smashed under her weight as the Corvette peeled out, slamming Davie's door and making her yelp, "Ouch!" Shan panted against my neck and shivered. "I know who was waiting for that shipment. The name Hawke mean anything to you?"

A freaky cat growl rumbled up from Helena and I cringed. Davie twisted to wiggle her fingers deep into Shan's hair. "I'm sorry Mikey, I didn't mean to freak you out. I needed to find out who was behind this. Sit up and the let Frisky here breathe. You did good Gabs, thanks."

"Ro," Helena snarled as we sorted ourselves out in the back. "Get Reece on the phone. I need to talk to him."

Ignoring the others, I fussed over the obviously freaked out Shan. She was gray under the white fur, eyes dilated and skin clammy. Her soft, irregular purring was disorienting and stressed-sounding. "Shan? You okay? You're fine now, we're all fine." Since Davie couldn't reach anymore, I stroked the short, bunny-soft fur on her head and let her lean into my shoulder. We were so cramped into the back of the low-slung monster of an old muscle car that I could barely move. I loved old cars and someone had done a damn nice job in installing smaller bucket seats in the front so that a backseat could be added to the sports car.

"You got him patched into the com? Great. Jesse? We have a problem. It seems that your old man, or someone using his name, is running drugs into the west docks. Yeah, I know how you feel. You better start digging; because this is gonna get stupid kinds of ugly."

Even I had a bad feeling about this.

At the clocktower, we were only seconds behind the familiar H2. Dinah barreled out of the passenger side and nearly suffocated both me and the still-silent Shan. "Oh, thank God you're both okay. I was so worried." Shan snaked an arm around each of us and squeezed until she earned squeaks. The tail brushed over my back and Shan snuffled quietly into Dinah's hair.

"The cops freaked me," she whispered as I heard the whir of the lift letting Miss Gordon onto the pavement.

"Are you two okay?" She asked and both Davie and Helena rumbled affirmatives. "Come upstairs and let me look you over." More grumbles. "Humor me. You too, girls."

I knew better than to disobey that tone, even if we weren't in school and pulled away only far enough to tug my pals over to the elevator. We were crammed in claustrophobically tight and Helena complained, "This damn thing is too small for this many."

"Good thing it's an express to the top then," Miss Gordon sassed at her. Shan didn't look so bad now, her color and body language calmer under Dinah's soothing attention. Before the doors were even fully open at the top, long arms reached in to yank Shan into a bone-creaking hug. I could hear the frantic purring from four feet away. Ro rubbed her head roughly into her twin's matching mane and the last of the tension drained out of them both. An arm snaked out to paw Dinah into the huddle, and then Davie and the rest of us pressed in close. A tail, Ro's by the lack of covering, slithered out to wrap around Miss Gordon's shoulders. She reached up to rub whatever happened to be the closest back. Their acceptance, the rough petting in my tangled curls and the visceral press of their bodies made me feel like a part of them. The horror of hurting that man drained away for the time being, soothed by this new family I was making. No matter how strange the whole gang of them were.

"I don't wanna be locked up again," Shan murmured in a soft voice that sounded like a terrified child, not this magnificent warrior and friend.

"I know," Ro hummed. "Me either. I'm just glad you're home safe. Come have some popcorn and relax."

It was only a single bag of the microwave popcorn, but we all got a handful to crunch on while the twins and Miss Gordon went to the massive computer with the weird name. " _Call her Barbara_ ," Said a strange voice and I looked around. There was a weird quality to the sound, like it was echoing around in my head like a bad special effect. " _I know you're curious about what we can do. Right?_ " Unnerved, I looked around, but no one was paying attention to me. Then Davie looked right at me with those deep, dark eyes, so black that I couldn't see the pupils.

"Is that… you?"

" _Yes. Tonight you earned my trust and my respect. You've never hurt another human being before, have you?_ "

I could hear her, but her mouth never moved. It was bizarre. "No. It was awful."

"Good," she answered me out loud. "Hurting should never be done casually. It's one of the few things that separate us from our enemies. Come sit with Dinah and I while the others debrief."

It wasn't until I rested my weight on my hand to sit that the pain registered. Collapsing to the cushions, I hissed in agony as the white-hot sensation lanced up my arm. "Gabby?" Dinah's voice broke through the haze and her hands were on my shoulder and arm. "Let me see. Oh boy. Barbara! We might have something broken over here."

Teary-eyed, I let them fuss over me. It was far easier once Barbara had given me a couple of pills for the pain. That, and having Shan curl up around what felt like my whole body and purring like a gigantic lap cat. It was kinky and soothing all at once, distracting me from having my aching hand manipulated all over.

"Welcome to the superhero life," Helena chuckled, not unkindly and ruffled my and Shan's hair both.

"Well, congratulations," Barbara sighed, when she looked at the x-rays that she had taken. The woman had an x-ray machine in her apartment. Wild. "You have a hairline fracture in your hand. That center knuckle is busted. Let me get you splinted up and then I can manhandle the rest of you."

"Kinky," Helena chuckled, but moved aside to let Barbara and Davie wrap up my poor hand.

"You wish, Huntress," Barbara sassed back and stroked my head soothingly. "We'll take a look at it in the morning. See if the swelling has gone down."

"Huntress?" I asked to try and keep my attention away from the ache.

"Code names," Helena quipped easily and gave me a thrill by leaning over the couch and scooping me up into impossibly strong arms. I couldn't object to being manhandled, so to speak, by this gorgeous woman, not to mention I was getting a serious case of loopy on painkillers. "I'm Huntress. Watch my eyes." Intrigued by her proximity and whatever was the next superhero shocker, I did as asked. They were a bright, crystal blue, until a flaming red erupted from within. It was crazy, watching the crimson sweep out over the blue like spilled paint, and her pupils suddenly pulling tight and vertical. Stunned, I watched the red cat's eyes settle into an almost violet and felt the subtle shift in her body. Where holding me had been an effort, now it was easy, there was a strength to her that was impossible to miss. "My mother was a metahuman, like Dinah and Davie and the twins. I'm stronger, faster and stealthier than I could possibly make you believe. Dinah can throw stuff with her mind, and read minds with a touch, and she's Canary. The twins can teleport along with all the cool genetic critter enhancements and Davie's a kick-ass telepath called the Prophet. No offense kid."

"None taken," Dinah sighed. "I just haven't had a chance to explain the touch telepathy."

"It's okay," I chimed in trustingly. "I think my weird-shit-o-meter is about full up for today."

Laughter echoed about and Shan stood up to throw both arms around us. "We don't love you for your subtlety, Hel. Go put them to bed and I guess we're next to be doctored."

"Right. Back in a flash."

I was too tired to even get undressed and was unconscious before her hands had left my body.

 

++ Barbara ++

It was strange how unselfconscious the twins were about being naked. Shan stiffly stripped down to her furry hide and leaned into her sister to be nuzzled and fussed over. Even through the varying lengths of white fur, the bruising could be seen. With practiced hands, Davie mapped out the blunt force trauma and pronounced it nothing to worry about. "Go sleep," she shooed the girls fondly and they headed for the lift.

"Take the bed," I called. "You'll sleep better there." They blinked at me for a moment and changed direction. I then turned to my partner of eight years to begin the post-fight exam we both knew so well. "Helena, I made some calls while at the manor today. Dick needed to know about the legal proceedings, being the other heir, so I contacted him. He's willing to stay for a few days while the Delphi will be down." Looking up at her, I saw the scowl on her face and sighed. "Please. I'm scared to death having my safety net gone. Do this for me?" Okay, it was perhaps childish of me to pull a guilt trip, but I was truly frightened of being out of touch with my girls.

"Argh," she groused and raked her fingers through her hair. "Yeah okay, it makes sense."

"Yes. I think Alfred's in contact with Bruce, because things are going far too smoothly. Speaking of which, you need to go see the lawyers tomorrow." Helena groaned at me and I forcefully turned her around so that I could examine her back. "There's no stopping the process now. You're the most excitement Wayne Industries has seen since the earthquake. People are going to be very surprised by you." I could feel the nervous gulp all the way down to the small of her back.

"Barbara," she whispered nervously and Davie paused where she was examining the still-healing collarbone. "You're gonna stick with me, right?" I pressed my hands to the birdlike tattoo inked across the small of her back.

"Helena, you're stuck with me whether you like it or not. We've been through too much together. Now, I think you're irritatingly undamaged, so go sleep."

"Will you be in?" She asked me softly, big blue eyes scared and vulnerable. I had planned on staying away from the temptation of the bodies around me, but I could never tell her no.

"Give me a few to lock the place down."

"Okay."

Davie regarded me silently, putting up her hands in a placating gesture after an intense moment. "Luckily, Gabby saved me from any serious injury, just a few bruises. There's a reason I wear body armor and make the twins do the same. I was foolishly not wearing the helmet, and nearly got my brains bashed in for it. You'd think I'd have learned by now."

Her self-deprecation made me smile. "No, there's no school on how to be a superhero."

It was a bolt from the blue, a stunning flash of inspiration that left me breathless.

There was no school for superheroes…

Or Metahumans or those that might need direction to stay away from the dark side, and… I had to calm myself down.

" _What?_ " Davie asked with a cocked head and I smiled enigmatically.

"I have an idea, but it can wait. See you in the morning."

 

++ Frankie ++

I was so mad I could spit nails. All my plans were shot to shit now, and it was going to be a bitch to piece something back together in the ruins. Not only had the drug shipment been commandeered, but a very large quantity of hired help had been lost to police custody. Damn that baby bird and her girlfriend. I'd spent the better part of fuckin' year rebuilding the shattered remains of the Hawke empire after the boss had cut out. All those goddamn loyal years of service to Al Hawke, getting my goddamn neck busted by that freak assassin after trying to get the bastard to back off…

Even now I could hear the dark chick freak fussin' over me, gettin' me to the hospital and all that shit. I'd bet my left nut that she was the one that hit the boat. Here I was, lucky enough to survive gettin' my neck broken, but not enough to have one damn drug shipment go my way. There was gonna be hell to pay with the cartels.

Shoving away my fear that somehow Hawke would find out what was going on and send someone to kill me, I concentrated on my phone again, determined to wade through the seemingly thousands of phone calls I was making to try and salvage something from this mess. The old man was in jail and I was gonna survive this goddammit! Served him right to rot in jail at the hands of that damn kid of his.

Suddenly the limo lurched like it had hit something. Great, this was all I needed! It lurched again and I began to wonder what the hell was going on. Then something smashed through the window to my right and I automatically hit the floor. I knew I should have gone for the bulletproof model! Then there was the thump of feet on the roof and the sunroof exploded into a million shards of glass that rained down on me. "Dammit!"

"Hey there, cutie." A jovial female voice called from above me. "We need to talk. Oh, I know what you're thinking. No good conversation starts with, we need to talk, but you'll wanna hear this I promise. C'mon, lemme see those baby blues," she cajoled like an insane cartoon character and I couldn't help but look up. In the growing light of dawn, I could see a wild shock of blonde hair and some kind of crazy red and black outfit. "That's my boy. Now, you have a bird problem, right? Well, do we have a ton in common. Lemme knock over a coffee stand and I'll tell you what we're gonna do."

"Listen lady," I had to growl at that point, even as I seriously doubted that lady was the right term. "I don't know who the hell you are, but…"

She was nervy enough to drop into the passenger's compartment and grin manically at me. Oh shit, I recognized her. She was the whack-job that had hypnotized the whole city back before Christmas. Quinn something or another. Dammit, now what did I do? There was a certifiable crazy in my car, wanting to talk about taking down the baby bird and her flock. Wait a minute…

Suddenly intrigued by the possibilities, I drew my dignity around me and shook off the glass. "You could have just knocked," I deadpanned and she chuckled.

"What can I say? I like to make an entrance. Let's see, one dark, one blonde, both fast and annoying and full of all kinds of fun little tricks, right? They scared your boss off, made you pick up the pieces, they keep knocking over every little scam you try to piece together? Am I getting warm? Is there a prize if I guess right?"

The perversely inappropriate, kid-on-too-much-sugar energy was disorienting and more than a little disturbing. "Yeah, if you're talking about that god-damned baby Canary and her dominatrix-on-speed sidekick, then yeah, they piss me off. Do you have a point here?" I had tried to kill both of them on numerous occasions, but some wacko dressed like Wesley Snipes in Blade had stopped a rain of bullets intended for the Huntress, and I was still smarting from my goddamn Charger classic car being given a flying lesson courtesy of the baby Canary.

Something was twining into the car like a hungry snake, a great, thick, thorny length of what looked like some kind of… vine. Welcome to my own personal Twilight Zone. Great. "Oh, Frankie," she purred seductively and I winced. "I can help you. They can't fly on luck and virtue forever, now can they?" her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper as she slid across the glass-speckled seat. "I know things about them that I'm not supposed to know. Doctor-patient confidentiality, you understand. But since she pissed me off." The maniacal smile took on a cold, predatory edge that made me glad she wasn't pissed at me. "I'll break the rules." Then she was all smiles again. "Not that rules are for people like us, right Frankenstein, old boy?" She slapped me on the shoulder and cackled madly over her own joke.

"Yeah sure, whatever you say lady."

"Oh, call me Harley, all my friends call me Harley." She smiled coldly again. "And we are going to be good friends, aren't we, Frankie?"

Out the last of my illegally gotten millions on a busted drug shipment, I appeared to have little choice. "Sure, Harley, I'll help you kill the birdling and her girlfriends. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, you see, I'm out on a little recruitment drive. I've heard rumors that there's someone in town that just has to be mine. It'll be Christmas all over again!" Then something happened, her eyes went all freaky and the last thought I had was that I shoulda killed her when I had the chance.

 

++ Jane ++

Carrie had spent most of our time together telling me about Metahumans. Rather than feeling like an expert, I was still fairly baffled by the whole concept. The amnesia hadn't affected my cognitive abilities, but the lack of background knowledge was infuriating. I felt like I should understand what she was talking about. Especially since it was her mother that could sense other metahumans and claimed I was one of them. It was more than good will that had made Kelly take me under her wing. They both kept telling me that I was a metahuman too. With no memories of my past, I could barely comprehend being more than what I was, cleaning up after humanity. Yet, I felt as though I was in a too-small space and wanted freedom so badly I could taste it like coppery blood in my mouth.

Threatening to slip into melancholy, I was startled by the door crashing inward, nearly ripping it from the hinges. Kelly stomped in like a pissed off bear and her green eyes swung around the room. That's not what made me cringe though; it was the strangers behind her. New to the family or not, I felt protective and Kelly wasn't acting like herself. Carrie was on her feet and at my side in a flash. The wild-haired blonde clapped her hands like a happy kid and looked around. "What a charming little hovel! Thanks for the invite, Arcanine. And you two must be Jane and the darling Carrie. We're going to be such good pals!"

Kelly was acting wildly out of character and it was terrifying. Carrie pressed against my arm, clinging to me for reassurance. The almost maniacal danger in Kelly's eyes was frightening. Then the blonde was suddenly only a few steps away and I was forced to return my attention to her out of a sense of self-preservation. Suddenly her eyes swirled inky black, a fireworks show of gold flecks in the depths.

"Will you do anything I ask?"

Of course I would. What kind of silly question was that? "Yes."

 

++ Dinah ++

It was time.

Being up at the asscrack of dawn freakin' sucked with the hours I normally kept, but I understood that we needed to be done today. Harley would surface with the night and we needed to be prepared. Ro yawned hugely as she slumped past me to where only the bare bones of the Delphi now stood. Her tail caressed my belly and snapped my attention back to the process at hand. "C'mon Don," she chuckle-rumbled and I followed meekly. I liked the nickname of Donatello, third of the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It made me feel a part of the twins and Davie as much, if not more than Barbara and Helena. Davie wandered out and went for the coffee I had brewed before coming over and helping us out. With quick hands, Ro unscrewed the casings of the various computer gear and pulled out part of their guts to hand it to me and I would bag it, carefully mark it with an incomprehensible string of alphanumeric gibberish and pack it away in packing peanuts. Some of the hardware was bubble-wrapped and stacked on the moving cart we'd rented and prepped for being moved downstairs.

"Wow," Barbara's voice rang out and we all looked up to see her in a burgundy business suit. "It looks like you're nearly done. I wish it wasn't so nerve-wracking to have all that empty space." The tweaky tone of voice was unmistakable as a monitor to her stress level. The Delphi was her baby and even computer boob that I was; I knew that she'd spent years building a truly remarkable machine.

"The basics will be up and running before you know it," Ro assured her softly. "You'll see." Helena strode out next, looking relaxed yet distinctly uncomfortable in her casual business drag.

"You look awesome," I chimed in and she flashed an uncomfortable grin. There was a deep slit up the right seam of her conservative black skirt for a peek of garters to flash when she moved and the electric blue silk blouse was unbuttoned just this side of rakish. "And oh-so-very you," I added with a chuckle that she echoed softly.

"Thanks, D. Wish me luck everybody."

I couldn't help but snicker at Ro striding over to nuzzle Helena, going as far as to lick the tip of her nose. "They'll love you," Ro purred intimately and Helena smiled and Eskimo kissed the taller woman.

"Yeah, they will, won't they?"

"That's the spirit," Shan crowed as she left the bedroom. "Break a leg you two." Hel only leaned away from Ro to accept a quick nose-pet from Shan and a frisky smack on the butt. "I'm sure that Alfred can help us get settled in at the mysterious Wayne Manor. Don't you worry about a thing."

Barbara stroked Slinky when it trailed lovingly over her arm and chair. "Thanks. The coms should link us all up if anything happens. Be careful today."

"We will," I called out and flashed my best grin to my guardian. She returned the gesture and let Helena lead the way to the elevator. "Okay troops, let's do this!"

What felt like a lifetime later, I was regretting my gung-ho attitude. Exhausted to my bones, I slumped to the floor and tried to gain my bearings. Between moving all of our personal stuff and the extensive help from my telekinesis, I was wiped. Suddenly strong hands wrapped around my shoulders, kneading deeply into the tension. Purring softly, whichever twin it was sat close to my body, thighs caging me in, and the tail wrapped around my waist nice and tight. Too tired to resist, I leaned my head forward and let her hands massage where she wanted. Something brushed over the spot behind my ear; the purring was a little louder, warm breath on my neck… I startled only a bit when the softest of kisses made my head tilt away completely against my will. That soft mouth vibrated the tiniest bit with the purring and translated onto my sweaty skin. Something mysterious and strong uncoiled deep in my belly, spreading like heat through my guts and muscles. Part of me was screaming to get away from the sensations, part of me wanted to remain perfectly still and see if the predator would catch me. She nosed in more closely into my temple, mouth tasting my hair, setting my poor hormones aflame.

Then she licked me, right up the jugular and the purr turned into a near-growl that made me gasp and jerk away. Stunned by the feeling, shocked but liking it, I stared into violet eyes that seemed as surprised as my own.

And we started giggling like uncomfortable little kids. We kept doing this, and I wasn't really sure what to think. Not that I was in any condition to think, and she felt really good so close to me and the wet spot on my neck was driving me nuts and her eyes were so pretty…

The violet gaze started to duck away and I leaned in to rub noses with her and if our lips brushed just a little… I liked making Shan blush, the color warm and subtle under her dusting of fur. I knew it was her, it didn't matter how much she looked or didn't look like her twin, they didn't fool me, nosiree. I knew this one was mine…

 

++ Davie ++

Ah, teenage hormones. If they were any cuter, I'd have to smack them up alongside the head. They broadcasted like a rock concert and I could hear every thought and emotion in all its teen-angsty glory. Argh…

It wasn't easy to telepathically tune them out, but I concentrated and turned my attention back to the task at hand. Thank the Almighty that I could read that they just might be serious about one another once all the puff and ruffle was done with, so I let them be. The twins had never needed a parent in me, and I had never wanted the role. They needed an older sister and a mentor and the occasional cuff to the skull to behave. I could do that in spades. Binky suddenly coiled loosely around my neck and shoulder, petting over my skin and falling away. Glancing up, I caught Ro's toothy grin and an eyeroll that spoke volumes. Our shared humor bubbled up and echoed around the cavernous loading bay. Gabby had been watching her friend and Shan cuddle with an intensity that amused me, but looked over at the explosion of laughter. There was something behind the blue eyes, but I restrained the urge to pry. There was some envy going on there, and I didn't need to be a telepath to know it. Shan and Dinah rubbed noses again, the almost-kisses sweet and shy. As much as part of me wanted to let them be, we had work to finish.

"C'mon soldiers, we're not done yet. A few more things and then we get to do all this in reverse across town." Much groaning and grumbling accompanied the budding couple climbing to their feet and helping finish the job of loading the van. Gabby was excused from all labor because of the spectacular purpling that crept out from underneath the splint on her hand. Instead she was in command of the laptop computer from hell that Barbara had turned into a mini-Delphi. It had remained quiet except for the random blips of regular police activity.

And at last the truck was full.

Everything the women of this place had deemed irreplaceable had been crammed into what looked like a medium-sized bread truck. "Get in, and let's get out of here," Ro instructed and pulled a baseball cap over white hair and pointed ears alike. There were a million day to day skills that both Miss Honey and I had ensured that they knew, despite rarely being able to use them. The girls could eat at a fancy dinner party; they could operate heavy machinery, and fix plumbing. They could also drive both standard and manual transmission vehicles, up to an eighteen-wheeler. I took the passenger seat while the others crammed into the back.

"Lead the way Leo," I chuckled as Ro put on a pair of inky dark sunglasses to protect her albino-pale eyes and we left the clocktower behind. The most nerve-wracking part of the trip was pulling into open air and wondering if something nasty was waiting for us. It was doubtful that any of us took a deep breath as we breezed across the city waiting for something to jump out at us. It was a beautiful city, hints of old Gotham peeking out from the reconstruction. We'd managed to time our trip in between lunch hour and peek rush, so we made good time and soon crossed over the enormous bridge leading to the mainland. The thick eastern forest quickly swallowed us up and Dinah quietly directed us to our destination. We ended up moving along behind a black limo and my cell phone rang. "Hello."

"Davie, it's Barbara. I'm guessing that's you right behind us."

"Is that's you up there? Nice wheels."

There was a muffled scuffle and Helena's voice suddenly sneered into the phone, "it's a status symbol."

"I know. Better get used to it baby. How'd the meeting go?"

"They were waiting for me. I feel like a new zoo attraction. But they pretty much gave me whatever the hell I pleased. It's kinda strange." The mixed emotions were palatable in her voice and across the distance between us. Tapping Ro, I gestured for her to follow the limo.

The gate loomed up out of nowhere, a monstrosity of wrought iron as tall as a decent sized tree and at least as old. "Wow," I breathed into the phone I had forgotten about and Hel grumbled something as it sounded like the phone was snatched away from her.

"See you up top," Barbara told me and the line went dead.

"What's up?" Ro asked, pulling off the cap now that we were on private property.

"I'm guessing that Helena isn't happy about all this. Can't blame her really. All this is trivial without a father." No one had anything to say to that and we watched the old growth forest around us as we wound deeper and deeper up the well-maintained driveway. It felt like forever before the house erupted out of the wilderness.

Across a vast sea of perfectly manicured hillside rose the Wayne Manor, a sprawling Gothic edifice to old money. Brooding and secretive and master of its domain, the mansion was an entity unto itself. "Wow," Shan breathed at my shoulder and I reached up to skritch her scalp. "Nice crib." The teens giggled at the slang and I merely pulled the soft hair into the crook of my neck until I earned the low purring. We hadn't been able to spend much time together lately, me and my sidekicks, and I missed the intimacy of their presence. Shan nosed into my hair and sighed softly, the sound equal parts happy and melancholy. I knew exactly how she felt.

 

++ Dick ++

Helena had been surprisingly good company today, and positively restrained in her behavior around the cadre of Wayne Industries legal eagles. I was waiting for the fallout, because Helena Kyle had never been one for restraint. Only this time, she seemed earnest and serious about what was going on. Why she suddenly wanted a piece of her genetic heritage was beyond me, but the Manor that she requested custody of was a big part of it. Since Barbara was still such an integral part of her life, and I secretly knew that Bruce had smoothed the way, all of her requests had been granted.

It had been a long time since I'd been to the Manor and a bittersweet cloud of memories descended on me. It was here that I had come of age, here that I learned to be the man I'd become. Now Bruce's estranged and enigmatic daughter would carry on the family tradition here. At least I really hoped she would. "Welcome home," I said seriously as we three stepped out of the limo and I sent the rented driver on his way. Babs took a moment to get settled while Helena hovered until she earned a laugh. They had always been so tight together; the ties between them ran deeper than friendship or blood. The bread truck crunched to halt in the gravel driveway and the engine died.

Now, I had been briefed on the new girls, sure, but the key word was brief. An attractive, compact woman with a wild shock of inky curls swung out of the passenger side and stretched in the warm sunlight like a cat. "That was a pleasantly uneventful trip," she spoke up in a lightly accented voice.

Then the driver stepped out and I could only stare.

I had seen some strange stuff in my life as a superhero, but she was very unusual. Good thing Babs and Helena had warned me about their tailed friend. Cocking her head curiously, the white woman eyed me and her head moved like she was scenting the breeze. "Dick," Babs spoke softly. "This is Rowan Jones and her mentor, Sister Mary David, the Prophet." Rowan Jones strode over with that same liquid grace that Helena was so good at and extended a hand. "Ro, this is Dick Grayson."

"A pleasure," she murmured in a smooth second soprano voice and I automatically took her offered hand. I don't know why I expected her to feel different, but she certainly didn't. Her strong hand was all calluses and bone and tendon and warm skin. The quirk of her half-smile reminded me vaguely of Babs' teasing grin and I felt myself smile back.

"Pleased to meet you. Welcome to Wayne Manor."

There was a quick round of introductions for Rowan's identical twin, and her teen companions. I knew Dinah's story, and was impressed with Gabby's bold friendliness. Part of the reason I had been so willing to come back to New Gotham at Babs' request was to see Alfred.

"Master Dick," he greeted me warmly at the door and I only hesitated a moment before wrapping the old man up in a suffocating hug.

"Good to see you."

"Wow," Gabby breathed at the main foyer. Even Helena looked suitably awed by the ponderous age of the mansion. Generations old, the building was a living testament to history and success. The main foyer was a massive expanse with a pair of curved staircases framing a set of double doors that I knew led to the rest of the entertaining areas. Sprawling rooms full of priceless antiques swept out from the foyer, lit by enormous banks of windows. "You could get lost in here."

"And you haven't even seen the rest of the house," I smiled and watched the new kids slowly fan out into the spaces. Rowan and Sister Mary David stuck with Helena while the blondes were with Killashandra. I looked down at Babs, noting the loving and indulgent smile quirking her mouth. How I adored her and wished that things could have been different. If wishes were horses…

"Refreshments, anyone?" Alfred swept into the room with a pitcher of lemonade and a collection of glasses. It coaxed everyone back into a group to indulge in the traditional summer fare. Shan sniffed at Dinah's cup and her nose wrinkled up.

"Those are real lemons."

"Of course."

"Sorry Alfred, that's one of the tastes and smells that messes with our senses."

"Ice tea then?"

"Thank you, that would be great."

During the tour that Babs and I conducted, Helena was noticeably quiet and broody. She reminded me so much of her father in that respect. Bruce had always made stoic broodiness an art form. There was the Olympic-sized pool, a workout room that was still pretty cutting edge despite being eight years out of date, showers and rooms everywhere. There were places I had utterly forgotten about until I stuck my head through the doorway. Every room was filled with memories for me and I could tell that Babs was feeling the same way.

In any house, people gravitated to the kitchen and the Manor was no exception. There were a half-dozen small kitchens in the place, but the palatial set up on the ground floor was the real heart of the house. Alfred had made his to-die-for spaghetti that Babs and I playfully growled at each other over like the kids we had once been. Alfred looked so happy with the crowded table that he was ready to cry. I watched Helena as she methodically worked her way through a plateful that impressed me with her appetite. There were flashes of caressing tails over her skin that would make her smile faintly before returning to her melancholy.

I held no love for Helena Kyle. In so many respects she was a disruption to my past and to my history with both Bruce and Barbara. But at the same time, I could feel for her, could recognize the fierce independence of her mother. We had all respected Catwoman, even as often as we were friend or foe of the amazing woman. None of us had expected her to just drop the life of off and on crime for the blue-eyed minx that sat across from me now. Barbara had accepted the change, befriended Selina Kyle and built a new life around that friendship. Then Selina had been killed, Barbara shot by the Joker and Helena Kyle was as integral to the new Barbara as the Batgirl suit had once been.

After dinner, Helena did something totally unexpected.

She went to top floor and imperiously strode into the rooms that were practically hallowed ground. Even Alfred seemed a bit unnerved by the audacity of her slim frame prowling through Bruce's personal penthouse. He was such a painfully private man; even I had rarely been in this place. The others were unaware of the history here and Helena brashly just didn't care.

"So it's mine now?" She suddenly asked almost belligerently, looking me dead in the eye.

"Yes," I whispered, the thought almost paining me and I was quite surprised. I had never wanted the manor or the history clinging to it. Better that Bruce's biological offspring should have it.

"Then this spot is mine, this whole sweet penthouse. It's time this damn spookhouse was made into a home again." Grinning manically, Helena grabbed a drop cloth protecting the priceless furniture underneath and wadded it into a ball to chuck at me. Barbara laughed almost nervously, like she was uncertain she should and Helena flung another sheet. I couldn't help but choke on my own snicker as the white cloth tangled over Babs and her laughter exploded from her.

So dissipated the ghosts of the past to make way for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This song cracks me up, it's cheesy and bouncy and pointless fun. I think I was just going for contrast to this very serious chapter. As a note on Wayne Manor: I was a fan of the first two Batman movies, but hated the crappy flicks that came afterward. There is so much history with that house that I needed to work with it. Once Harley escaped, it was insane for them to stay in the clocktower. I'm sure that the tower is quite safe, but not like the manor. It was a logical progression of events to me.
> 
> Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom  
> By the Venga Boys
> 
> If you're alone and you need a friend  
> Someone to make you forget your problems  
> Just come along baby take my hands  
> I need a lover tonight
> 
> (Chorus)  
> Oh, oh, oh, this is what I wanna do  
> Oh, oh, oh, let's have some fun  
> Oh, oh, oh, one on one, just me and you
> 
> Boom, boom, boom, boom  
> I want you in my room  
> Lets spend the night together  
> From now until forever  
> Boom, boom, boom, boom  
> I wanna go boom boom  
> Let's spend the night together  
> Together in my room  
> Oh, oh, oh, everybody get on down  
> Oh, oh, oh, Venga Boys are back on town
> 
> (Chorus)


	7. Crazy For This Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helena enlists Ro's help in christening the new space, later dragging Barbara into the festivities!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, WARNING!! Here's the kinkiness I've been teasing you all with for six chapters. Beware frisky tails and 'rough' sex, submissive groveling (not the way you think) and poor Babs might even get some real lovin'! * evil grin *

++ Ro ++

It had been a subtle, gentle hunt, my prey not to be attacked, but sweetly coerced. As Helena had grown physically stronger before my eyes, I was reminded of exactly who and what she was. Could I win her… at least in part? Did I want to? It wasn't the fact that I would never be hers alone, because I knew where her heart truly lay, and was comfortable with our animal magnetism. The one who held my heart in her hands was beyond my reach, so I knew how Helena felt. Not to mention that Shan was so much a part of me, and with the natural need to group into packs and prides embedded in my very DNA; my concept of individualism was malleable at best. Helena came with an airport worth of baggage, and her life was irrevocably bound up with Oracle and the sparkle of New Gotham in the near distance.

So where did we meet in the middle?

Again, I raised my head and sampled her delicate scent on the breeze. My visceral reaction rose up, primitive and welcome. No one had ever affected me like this, tugged at the millions of years of animal instinct spliced into my metahuman genes. A glance around the big penthouse atop Wayne Manor showed the white sheets turning the large furniture into ghosts. The great windows were opened to the night and the breeze that carried her intoxicating fragrance. She was perched in the narrow window frame, effortlessly balanced in the manner of the cats she was so like. Moonlight bathed her in cool light, highlighting her dark hair and feral beauty. It made my heart and hormones ache.

"You can come in," Helena whispered, her body never moving. I padded silently into the room on bare feet, still attuned to her. Crouching a bit, I nuzzled into her dark hair, rubbing my entire face over the crown of her skull and purring softly. A sigh dredged up from some deep, melancholy part of her and it calmed my ardor. It was time now to just be with her, the rest would wait.

"It's beautiful. And huge," I breathed reverently and watched a smile quirk her mouth. "I look forward to earning both your trust, and your city's."

"You already have," she calmed me softly and I felt my emotions fall more hopelessly under her spell. A sinuous twist of her body had me gripped in a powerful hug as she turned her back on the blaze of nighttime New Gotham through the crown of the forest.

"You don't like this place because it's your father's," I guessed.

"It's not that I don't like it," Helena hedged and gripped my ribs even more tightly. "I'm just not entirely comfortably here. Even if I did choose it."

The attempts at humor made me tilt her head up to kiss her softly. "May I volunteer to help you feel more… comfortable, Kitten?"

Oh, she responded nicely to the suggestive comment, pulling me in for a deeper, more seductive kiss. Standing to press her body into mine, the embrace grew overheated. Since Helena had grabbed my shoulder too hard, she had been a complete pussycat with me and any lingering nervousness had been smoothed away. So she trailed her hands up both arms to bury her fingers in my ruff. Groaning and growling softly, she teased across my teeth and tongue with the hard little piercing embedded in her flesh until I bit lightly at her and the sexy sounds turned to giggles. "C'mere," she whispered huskily and pulled away to drag me after her. "I'm feeling kinky."

"You certainly won't hear me objecting."

Through the cavernous rooms we flitted like shadows on whatever adventure Helena had planned. There was a kitchen and eating areas to take note of and a pair of closed doors that I knew led off to the rooms that Barbara had commandeered to remain close to Helena. At a massive set of carved wooden doors, Hel paused for effect before dramatically throwing them open. "Cool, huh?"

It was a bedroom the size of some small houses and a vast acre of bed like something from a historical romance novel. Four posts thicker than my leg held up a massive canopy frame draped with double curtains, one as thick as the other was gauzy. The floor to ceiling windows ran for at least a hundred feet down two walls, leaving me with a dizzying sense of being out in the night air and almost flying above the dark forest.

"Wow." I breathed reverently. Giving me a quick kiss, Helena scampered over to one of the windows to kick lightly at a latch on the floor.

"This place has everything," she enthused as the huge window suddenly swung out a few feet on soundless hinges at the ceiling. There was a waist-high railing of glass I hadn't even noticed that Helena propped her hip on and shot me an incendiary look. "I've wanted someone like you for a long time." Her expression was hungry and vulnerable. "Someone who knew all about me."

"But I don't know all about you."

"Yeah, actually, in a lot of ways, you do. You understand things no one else does. You know how the night feels, the smell of it, the way we can see right through it and see things no one else does. You know how the danger feels, the race of your heart and how it can save you or make you a little nuts."

"Yes," I murmured to her eloquence and bent to kiss her again, deliberately pressing her back until her body was half over the long drop exposed by the open window. It wasn't that there was any real danger, just the reminder of it. She wasn't elegant or sweet with me anymore, but raw and sensual and animalistic, growling with the effort of holding her great strength in check. I was fascinated and fearful of her, of the power that lay in her wiry body and behind her blue eyes. I remembered watching her from a distance before the gunfire had brought us together. Watching her move was astonishing, an experience in the surreal. Pulling away from Helena's seductive heat, I stepped back and stripped my shirt awkwardly over my head. It wasn't graceful with my still-damaged shoulder, but her low growling did rumble was suddenly even deeper inside her chest. "I hate wearing clothes," I murmured in a deceptively calm tone and started unbuttoning my loose pants. "I didn't until Miss Honey tamed us…" I hadn't meant to have my throat close up around that name, and swallowed the emotion down. There was no place for those memories right here, right now. Helena took silent note of the choked pause and I grinned weakly before continuing to strip down. "It's the fur. It chafes and gets pulled at. Not to mention poor Binky being constrained." We traded smiles and I decided that I wasn't annoyed with Shan anymore for sharing the ridiculous nickname. Kicking away the jeans, I scratch-ruffled the disheveled fur scattered over my skin, forgetting for the moment that I wasn't alone. It was always such a relief to strip naked and let my poor hide breathe properly.

 

++ Helena ++

It was unbearably erotic to watch Ro trail both hands over her moon-pale body in absolute unselfconsciousness. With her coat of fine fur, her lines were hazy and ghostly in this light, only becoming clear when her strong fingers molded over slender curves to soothe her irritated skin. The look on her face was like a pleased kitty getting her belly rubbed. "Damn, that's sexy," I whispered and Ro jumped like I'd startled her. "Get in the bed and let me try it." So she turned her back and went to the bed, Binky trailing effortlessly in her wake. The tail no longer looked slightly odd on her long frame as I visually traced the line of her spine until it exploded into that frisky fifth limb. It was a graceful transition without clothing to break up the long, smooth line of muscle, vertebrae and thick fur.

As Ro yanked the bedding away from the side of the enormous bed, I pulled off my own t-shirt, grateful to notice almost no pain from my collarbone. "Stay like that," Ro purred oh-so-softly as my arms returned to my sides. "Let me see you in the moonlight." She was no more than a streak of white against the dark sheets, a teasing phantom of sense and sensation. I paused like she'd asked me to, almost feeling the trace of her gaze over my curves. With the distant sounds of New Gotham and the hum of the trees in the breeze as my soundtrack, I slowly and teasingly began to finish the job, listening for cues in her breathing and the small animal noises she habitually made.

There had never been any doubt that I had an exhibitionist streak a mile wide, a part of me that craved being the center of attention even as I dreaded it. Generally comfortable with the state of constant conflict within myself, this dichotomy of emotions didn't faze me in the slightest. Once naked, I mimicked her earlier body language, running my hands over my curves and waiting for her voice. She didn't disappoint.

"You are so beautiful."

With my feline ego stroked, I shivered in the night breeze and scrambled to the big bed. It still felt weird, the thrill arousing and perverse. This was my father's bed, long empty and useless. For all I knew, my parents had once christened this surface the same way I was preparing to do. Kind of a weird thought, but perversely comforting at the same time. It was a strange way to accept this space and his spirit lingering here, but I was ready to do it with this feral woman's help. In contrast to her cool coloring, Ro was hot to the touch as I scooted in until the whole length of us pressed tightly together. "Thank you," I murmured and kissed her softly. "People have told me that, but it means more coming from you, with your exotic and gorgeous looks."

Her skepticism was written all over her face and I just smiled and grabbed her wrist to bring her fingers up to kiss. "No one outside my family has ever thought I was beautiful," Ro confessed quietly and I cradled her fingers to my cheek and gave her my sober, undivided attention. "I'm too different from the norm, y'know? Only, somehow, you make me believe it. Thank you."

"Heartbreaker," I teased affectionately as we kissed again. Now was my chance to touch her freely, unfettered from the restraints of pain and clothing and the chance of being interrupted. The need to speak fell away; there was only her taste in my mouth, the feel of her unique body under my hands and against my naked skin. The fur was thick on her spine and she squirmed luxuriously when I skritched her like a big pet. "I noticed you don't seem to have any guard hairs," I noted conversationally and her colorless eyes blinked owlishly.

"Are you trying to make me think at a time like this?"

"Oh, God forbid," I teased and ducked my head back down to her throat. Ro hissed in shocked pleasure as I began grooming her with my tongue, enjoying getting to know her taste and feel even more intimately. Now I really was acting like a damn cat and the thought made me chuckle in delight. Mom would have been titillated and amused. "I like it, you're so soft."

"You're damn good at that," she moaned and traced light fingers over my torso. The touch made me giggle and moan. "Ah ha! I thought you were ticklish!" She chuckled and I had to press her wrists to the bed and glower to get her to stop. Then Binky grabbed me and I was suddenly on the bottom getting suckled at. "So beautiful," she purred like a panther and nuzzled into my torso, nipping at my undamaged collarbone before moving lower. "Are your nipples sensitive?" When she captured one to suckle at, I figured the question was rhetorical. There was a sandpapery roughness to her tongue in combination with the strong suction and it was making me nuts. Hunched over me like a hungry cougar, Ro sucked and nipped at me until the arousal was making me a bit crazy. My hands drifted distractedly down her fuzzy spine, over the curve of her strong ass and felt the powerful thickness of the base of her tail. The muscles and tendons were nearly as hard as the heavy vertebrae beneath the baby-soft fuzz and I curiously wrapped both hands around it, tucking my fingers into the warm place beneath.

I was rewarded with her nearly jumping clean out of her hide. "Sweet, a new trigger point. Growl for me baby," I coaxed softly and shifted my hands so that I could stroke the tail base slow and steady. That got her hips shifting and the noises she was making grew ever more guttural as I stroked her tail and ass. Realizing that she was too distracted to continue what she was doing, I grabbed the opportunity to push Ro onto her side and kiss my way down her body, licking through the fuzz and attacking her sweet little nipples. That really made her sing, the sounds ratcheting up in intensity as I stroked her flesh and growled, licked and bit at her, tugged at the furries with clenched teeth. Binky was wrapped tight around me like a hungry python, the strange embrace both helping and hindering my enjoyment of her expressive body. I hesitated at the liquid opening to her body, attracted there by the scent and heat. "May I?"

"Yesssssssssssssss…"

God, she felt good wrapped around my curious fingers and we hissed together in pleasure. Ro nosed into my hair, panting noisily, biting at my ear and cheek like a horny dog as I stroked into her, firm and sweet. Binky shifted its grip, the coils pulling me tight to her thighs and slipping in between my legs to tease me. Rather than object to the kink, I shifted to give her extra appendage easier access to stroke through the almost painful wetness all this fucking around had caused. I didn't trust the strong tail inside, but Ro made no move to do so and I got into the groove of the silky fur and hard bone rubbing my aching clit towards orgasm. Her hands were hard in my hair and her nails raked none-too-gently over my back, her one leg was hooked over me, her heel pressing into my ass and her tail was determined to give me the ride of my life.

She hit the peak first, but not by much, and I was thrilled by the sharp contractions of her body around my hand and the whining bark of her surrender in my abused ear. Pressing my face as hard as I could into the healthy flesh near her gunshot wound, I let the thrill of climax roar over me like a wave.

"Wee," I giggled madly as sanity began to reassert itself through the sensual haze. Ro was relaxed yet tense, her body still twitching minutely around my fingers and I gently eased out. She huffed agitatedly into my ear, but still didn't completely relax as I cupped my hand around the wet heat of her. "Still all riled up?"

"I'm almost twenty two years old and you're only my third lover," Ro murmured and suckled lovingly on the ear she'd abused earlier. It actually hurt enough that I'd bet that she'd broken skin biting me that hard. If not given me a really weird piercing. "What do you think?"

"I think," I growled and pushed her imperiously onto her back to clamber further down her body. "That I want to know how you taste. Excellent, Binky pushes your hips up. Makes my job easier," I chuckled with delight and concentrated on tracing the firm lines of her abs with my tongue. Settling myself relatively comfortably onto my elbows between her spread legs, I tried to keep most of my weight off of my almost-healed arm so that it didn't become a distraction.

"Would you like Binky to stay put?" Ro teased lovingly and I felt the tail settle more comfortably into its grip around my crotch. Like a living g-string, the supple hardness of it was a constant tease deep in the heart of my main pleasure center.

"Hell yes."

The white fur grew thicker the closer I drew to her sweet-smelling groin. The hairs were curlier, but no coarser and I reveled in it. While I'd never been down on a girl before, my same-sex experiments having taken place on packed dance floors, I knew damn well what I liked and was looking forward to getting her to bark again. It was gonna be a long night and I loved it.

 

++ Barbara ++

Silence dominated the manor this early in the morning. It was luxurious to have the time and space to myself while watching the sunrise. Only, this morning, there was no peace for me here in this new place.

Last night I had heard them.

Quite clearly.

The moaning and crying out… the panther snarls and the barking like wolves had spoken volumes. All night I'd listened to them bond, their noises animalistic and uninhibited as they wafted from the main rooms next door and through my open windows.

All night I'd listened and ached.

Lonely and guiltily horny, I'd listened avidly to the sounds they made together and wished I could be brave enough to be a part of them. Sleeping and bonding with them had been sublime, making me feel safe and adored. I was antsy and tired today, taking no pleasure in the warming sunshine or my favorite coffee or my spacious new rooms. My clothes were scratchy and too tight and my surly disposition matched those discomforts. Worse, it was a sensitive day, my legs feeling deceptively normal.

Were they okay? Should I check on them? There had been more than one yelp of pain last night, the sounds like some wildlife documentary with the volume up too high. Before I could talk myself out of it, I was headed across the living areas. There was one more pause at the door of Bruce's long-empty room where my upper brain tried desperately to talk me out of what I was about to do. Instead, I entered the quiet space and noticed that it no longer felt so desolate.

Painfully bright sunlight lit the room, making it appear to have a life of its own. There were clothes scattered about; their tank tops and pants crumpled near the open window. A flicker of movement caught my eye. It was the tail, slowly coiling and uncoiling like an indolent cat's against the royal blue sheets. It had slithered out from beneath the haphazard sheet barely draped over Ro's hips. In contrast to her ghostly coloring, what little I could see of Helena's golden skin looked swarthy by comparison. They were spooned closely together and utterly dead to the world. The sunlight was hazy over their bodies where it was filtered through the gauzy curtains on the bed and the picture they painted was mouth watering.

I wasn't thinking clearly.

I was tired and desperate and horny as hell. I shouldn't do this and I knew it, but I couldn't seem to stop myself. There were so many unspoken issues with Helena, at least on my end, and I was utterly rattled by the way she looked curled up with her lover. I was so jealous and confused and riled up by my emotions and hormones that I was getting really turned around. I wasn't the type to do this kind of thing; I tried to convince myself, even as I knew it was utter denial. There was a time when no silly thing like terror would have stopped me from doing anything. Then I had lost my legs and a part of me died along with the nerves in my spine. I was incredibly overdue for something insane and impulsive, but the part of my brain that was so useful a tool to Oracle held me in check. However, I was a bit concerned with the scratches and bruises dotting Rowan's back, and the potential damage they may have done to their wounded shoulders. That concern was enough for me to throw caution to the winds and give into the memory of their bodies cradling me close. The only problem was that their twined bodies were in the middle of the damn huge-ass bed. So I was going to have to scoot myself across the mattress and hope Ro didn't hit me with any of those hair-trigger reflexes.

In retrospect, the move was truly insane and perhaps I should have just called out and woken them. Both of them were natural hunters and I had no business getting in their personal space. I would be lucky to not get a body part removed. But they drew me the way sunlight drew the chlorophyll of a leaf. I could no more resist their primitive tug than I could stop breathing.

Hauling my body from the wheelchair, I shifted onto the big bed and Ro stirred indolently. I froze, and waited for the tail to start its lazy coiling again. Did the silly thing ever hold still? With years of practice muscling my body around with only my arms and back, I slithered closer to the pair with baited breath.

When I was close enough to reach out to Ro's body heat, I got a surprise. The tail suddenly slid around me, a familiar brush of sensation against my leg, then around my waist and up my side. All I could do was hold my breath and hope it didn't strangle me. But, unlike a hungry snake, it settled between my breasts and resumed its lazy movements. My nervous breathing slowed to normal as I relaxed and followed its hypnotic weaving. Only the last few inches moved, and it was very gentle. With tender fingers, I caressed the tip, marveling at the silky texture of fur and the hardness of bone and muscle underneath. Ro made a puppy sound and her body stirred languorously. Oops, I forgot that my friend was attached. Helena mimicked the sound perfectly and offered a soft growl.

Abruptly, I realized exactly where I was… and exactly how trapped. Nerves and propriety raced up my spine like wildfire, threatening to strangle me.

Shit.

Helena's hand appeared, to wind into the white hair only inches from my face and I shrank into myself. In the years of watching Helena grow from an amazing child to an extraordinary woman, I had tried and tried to deny the attraction that had grown in her adulthood. Now this magnetic stranger was just adding fuel to that carefully banked fire and things were getting out of control. They were kissing lazily, I could tell from the soft, wet sounds and a flash-fire of heat washed over me.

Ro's body stiffened slightly and her head and upper body twisted to peer at me. Damn, didn't the woman have any bones? There was a bit of surprise in her eyes, but that didn't stop her from grinning warmly and twisting further to plant a gentle kiss on my lips.

It was what I wanted and dreaded, this musky kiss that tasted of sleep and sex, the rough tongue slipping between my teeth to explore. Ro kissed me like she didn't give a damn about any silly rules or hang ups about what was heating up in this bed. While my banal upper brain stammered in abject horror, the horny lizard brain whooped for joy and let the sensual burn wash over me.

Whatever the hell I was doing here, it felt damn good. Helena squeaked suddenly, the sound dissolving into throaty laughter, and then into a pleased moan as I felt Rowan's arm shift. Again, an internal storm of protest, that lasted until the tail brushed over a hard nipple and I jumped. Now it was my turn to squeak and moan.

"What the hell," Helena muttered and Ro growled until my entire skull vibrated. It was thrilling and feral to feel, especially when those sharp canines pressed just hard enough into the corner of my bottom lip to scare me. There was no poetry and roses here, just the brush of the tail teasing my nipples and Ro's wicked mouth and Helena's shock and sensuality.

There was a lithe twist of inhumanly powerful muscles that had the tail suddenly tightened around me, pressing me to Ro's back as she twisted around and moved to straddle Helena. I could only throw my arms around her neck, as I was bodily hauled over to sprawl piggyback over her. She was holding Helena down and ravishing that soft red mouth while I watched in fascination. It was glorious, studying and listening to them kissing deeply, bodies pressed together.

I had never watched an amorous couple kiss like this before, the act in many ways more intimate than the actual sex. Suddenly, I felt like an intruder in this room and in this bed. Having Bruce's presence here like a living thing was unnerving me as well. Then I felt a hand in my hair, twining through the long strands and nearly wept. Helena skritched at my scalp, until I let my head drop into the back of Ro's neck in relaxation. "Good morning," Helena purred and Ro growled playfully.

"I think I like this pack bonding."

"Damn Skippy. As the new Wayne heir, I'm declaring a day off…" With that seemingly nonchalant exchange, I was suddenly pressed between them, both legs propped comfortably on their bent knees and both pairs of pale eyes watching closely. "Holler if you don't like something," Helena whispered and her mouth claimed me. All I could do was whimper at the fantasy made flesh. There was a bit of nervousness in the gesture, but the beast within was firmly in control. Yet I felt absolutely no fear that they would harm me in any way. While Helena showed me what that smart mouth was capable of, Ro was trailing a curious hand over my flushed body. They stripped me of clothing and pretenses, redefined my body and heart with hands and mouths before leaving me exhausted inside my own bones.

No one sensation stood out in the storm of fulfillment that had drowned me. Only after the climax had receded was I aware of individual stimuli. Helena's mouth and tongue nibbling lightly at my face, her moans warming my skin, and Ro's strong limbs and soft fur. There were kisses on my belly and thighs, the pale woman curious about my body. It was rare I got any real sexual satisfaction and she was teaching me things about myself with her caresses. "You taste yummy," she purred softly against my femoral artery and I couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up.

"Thank you," I murmured softly and opened my eyes to watch Helena examine me. So I stroked her chin and lower lip for the sole pleasure of being able to. "I've been curious about you for years."

"Me too. So this is cool?"

"Quite."

"Sweet," she grinned and suddenly became a human hurricane of activity, leaping at Ro who took the carefully aimed charge with a 'whuff'. "I didn't get enough good mornin' lovin' from you sexy." I propped myself onto my elbows to watch the two young women, bodies intertwined over my right leg. Ro had managed to get her good arm underneath herself to keep their weight off of my limb and the other was gripping Helena's wild hair. Watching them kiss, bodies erotically twisted together, was a delectable fantasy in and of itself. Ro growled and Helena leaned back to nip at her lower lip. "Hey, Babs, you taste good on her." I was pleasantly embarrassed as they wrestled playfully and I was forced to pull my body away as best I could. "Is that all you've got, Fuzzy?"

Ro growled more loudly at the taunt and the tail coiled up to grab Helena by the neck and unbroken shoulder and yank her across my thighs and pelvis. "Not by a long shot."

They snarled and nipped at each other, hands wandering sensuously over their contrasting skins. It was like watching puppies play fight, for there was no malice in the exchange. Nor was any quarter given. Not that I expected anything else from these young, healthy, strong predators. Low snarls preceded one of the Huntress yowls, the sound that a hunting panther would make. In an instant, her bare feet had come up at a nearly impossible angle to wrap around the middle of Ro's back and crush her in almost painfully close. I was hard pressed to say which was more arousing, their physicality or the noises they were making.

"C'mere you goofs," I chuckled fondly and was rewarded by a storm of new growls. There was more tussling that rolled them away from my unresponsive legs and Huntress managed to get away and hunker down a few feet away. She truly was magnificent, lean, wiry and sweaty, with her hair sticking out in all directions and love bites all over her rosy skin. With a leap that shook the bed, she was coiled up near my head while Ro twisted into a crouch at my feet. Perhaps this wasn't such a great idea… "Hey!" They both froze at my shout. "Careful while I'm here. It's not like I can dodge you two."

Contritely, both young women pressed gentle kisses to my skin before returning their attention to one another. Ro sprawled out beside me, with Helena on top, their legs intertwined and bodies rocking together while they kissed. Again the hormones claimed me and I rolled to my side to nuzzle Ro's twitchy ear and run my free hand over their sweaty curves. Helena climaxed abruptly, her body bowing into a perfect curve and the most extraordinary animal sound hissing up from deep in her body. As it crested, I stared in fascination as she curved her spine the other way, throwing her head back to let out a sound that was as much a bark as feline whine as groan. "Beautiful," was all I could manage to get past the lump in my throat. While Helena had always been an amazing young woman, in the incandescent throes of ecstasy, she was pure magic.

The tail was still distractedly caressing up and down Helena's relaxing back and I turned my attention to the frustrated Ro. She was such a complete stranger and yet, I felt as though I'd known her forever. While I explored her mouth again, I let my hand trail down and caress one breast. Her skin was silky, a fine haze of the white fur dusting her like peach fuzz. It was utterly strange and maddening to touch her body, which was as familiar as it was strange. Helena was recovering; her ragged breathing evening out as she began nuzzling the white body. Playing at Ro's breasts was a blazing hotspot that had her writhing like a dog with an itch on her back. "Barbara… Helena… please…"

"Far be it from me to refuse you," I chuckled and Helena echoed the sound softly. A nudge from my knuckles had Helena arching up enough to trail my hand over Ro's belly and abdomen. The fur grew thicker the lower I roamed, and the combined heat of their bodies was making me sweat even harder. Ro huffed in reaction to my fingers slipping inside, body arching wantonly. "You feel exquisite. Relax and come for me."

Helena growled in counterpoint to my whispered words and thrust her hips forward; driving my fingers deep into Ro's overheated body. Both of us gasped at the illicit feeling of the rocking thrusts. The short dark hairs were wiry on my knuckles, Helena's soft wet dampening and teasing my skin. I couldn't really do anything but enjoy the ride, caressing Ro's straining torso with my lips and feeling Helena's rough-gentle use of my hand. As the climax raced across Ro's nerves, I learned that she was the noisy one, her ratcheting cries uninhibited and animalistic. Helena rolled her hips to draw the experience out before letting our lover calm down. In a flash, I was on my back with a very active Helena suddenly everywhere on my body. It was paradise. Hands, mouth, teeth, the wild dark hair; they were on my breasts and thighs, nipping at my ribs and teasing my grasping hands.

Contrary to popular belief, I had nearly full sensation to about mid-thigh. From there down the feelings started to fade until there was a near-constant void at my feet. Helena knew my body as well, if not better than any lover, having helped me through endless bouts of physical therapy. All that knowledge was put to use now as she carelessly tossed both legs over her shoulders and proceeded to drive me insane with that wicked mouth. There had never been a doubt in my mind that the young woman would be a fantastic lover, with her expressive and strong personality. But that muscular tongue in my sex was utterly maddening, her hands latched tightly to my hips as an anchor. As I pulled at her hair, the growls and sighs drove me further on until the explosion brought on blackness.

 

++ Ro ++

Having knocked Barbara unconscious, Helena turned her attention back to me and growled. Once we were both healed, I knew I would feel the full extent of her Huntress strength and speed. Already, it had surfaced while we had been making love, besting me easily. It was arousing and terrifying. I had always had blindingly quick reactions, easily outmaneuvering even the fastest opponents. Now, not only had I met an equal, but with her Meta abilities active and frisky, she was absolutely my superior. To encourage her gentleness, I crouched low enough to put my chin on the sheet and consciously made Binky slow its erratic thrashing. Under less intense circumstances, it would have been humorous to see the expression of confusion on her face at my submissiveness. It came from deep within the animal part of me and she unconsciously reacted to the unusual stimuli. I could admit that it kind of bothered me to prostrate myself like this to someone else completely of my own will, but at least I'd get respect and great sex. That was certainly good enough incentive for me!

There was absolute stillness in Helena's body as I slithered closer and rubbed my skull up one bent leg until I could kiss her knee. This was no time to go for the obvious spots, the intoxicating scent of her wet sex, or the hard pink of her nipples. This was the time to earn her body's trust on a subconscious level. So I let my instincts trail gentle nuzzles over her legs and over her tense belly, between her breasts and to that primitive soft spot just under the jaw. There was no aggression in my touch, no hint of teeth or bruising suction. This would change the chemistry between us if she responded to it.

"Ro," she whispered softly and the tension suddenly flooded out of her body. Triumph and fear of my accomplishment rushed over me.

"I want your gentleness and your strength," was my soft request and there was a strong grip in my hair. I forced myself to remain passive as my head was yanked back. The feral beauty in her was almost painful to witness, the smooth skin, straight nose, the full mouth and delicate warmth of her. So much power coiled beneath the soft curves and pretty face. No wonder I was smitten! When she ducked and grabbed my lower lip in her teeth to bite down hard enough to really hurt, I remained passive and whimpered softly. I had made her submit before and now I willingly did the same for her. Flat on my back now, Helena's teeth still clamped into my flesh, I felt her crouch over me as though testing that I was serious. There would be strange bruise there, near my chin, but I didn't care. A flicker of tongue to my trapped lip signaled her acceptance of my surrender and in a heartbeat, she was utterly gentle, her weight pressing into me as she curled up atop my larger body.

"The weird shit you bring up in me," Helena mused softly as she settled her head under my chin and sighed. It gave me a chance to touch her for the sole purpose of exploration, marveling at the smooth and hairless plane of her back and upper arms. Even the tiny, tiny little hairs that decorated her were virtually invisible and undetectable by touch. Except for her skull and genitals and a couple spots where there were slightly rough patches where she shaved. "Why did you do that?"

"It's a social animal thing, y'know, pack hierarchy? I need to know who's in command and you're better suited to it than I. So I showed my throat and my instincts are satisfied. Yours too, I hope."

"I won't abuse your trust."

"I know. We should sleep more; we're not done healing yet."

"Why do you think she came in here? Not that I'm complaining," Helena mused as, with a tug of tail and a looped arm, Barbara's somnolent body was tucked along my side and I could breathe in their combined scents.

"Because she can't stay away from you," I answered her in total seriousness. "I just kinda helped trigger you two off."

"Really?"

"You sound nervous."

"This is gonna make things weird with her."

"It's better for you both than constant denial, now sleep and we'll all talk later."

"'Kay," Helena murmured and snuggled into me to relax fully. Utterly at peace with my lovers, I slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perhaps this tune has a bit too much of 'true love' overtones than I honestly see with Ro and her new women. She adores them, she truly does, but her heart already belongs to someone she lost… but will hopefully regain. However, Barbara and Helena really mean something special to her now, and nothing will change that. So maybe the song works after all.
> 
> Crazy For This Girl  
> Evan and Jaron
> 
> She rolls the window down  
> And she talks over the sound  
> Of the cars that pass us by  
> And I don't know why  
> But she's changed my mind
> 
> Would you look at her as she looks at me  
> She's got me thinkin' about her constantly  
> But she don't know how I feel  
> And as she carries on without a doubt  
> I wonder if she's figured out  
> I'm crazy for this girl
> 
> She was the one to hold me  
> The night the sky fell down  
> And what was I thinkin' when  
> The world didn't end  
> Why didn't I know then what I know now
> 
> And right now  
> Face to face all my fears  
> Pushed aside and right now  
> I'm ready to spend  
> The rest of my life with you


	8. Possession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in a tame echo of the triad, Dinah gets to know Shan a bit better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The NC17, pretty-damn-close-to-Xrated warning is still very much in effect here.

++ Barbara ++

I rarely enjoyed waking up. Having been converted to the cause of rampant pessimism, all my fears and worries and pains seemed all the sharper after the comfort of sleep. At least when there were no nightmares and boy did I have some doozies, truly hellish stuff. Not this time though. There was no fear or pain as the sensations of my body and heart awakened. Ro was pressed tightly to my back and Helena sprawled imperiously atop both of us. They warmed the nape of my neck and my ear, and their bodies were utterly boneless in the manner of sleeping cats and dogs. Despite my embarrassment and knee-jerk alarm at this new development, I had to smile affectionately. Damn good thing I didn't have any constriction issues, as they were practically suffocating me.

After a blissful few minutes of drinking in my lovers' warm embrace, I finally opened my eyes and saw that it was at least mid-afternoon. "Damn," groaned up from my chest before I could stop myself and both of them stirred lazily.

"Wha?" Helena murmured sluggishly and Ro made a puppy sound that was almost intelligible.

"Good thing you're not tremendously heavy, Huntress," I teased fondly and stroked her bracing arm where it was pressed tightly to my chest. "But I must say that the two of you make a great blanket. Even if it's getting warm in here." They chuckled and began pressing kisses to my skin. Reluctantly, I spoke up again. "I suppose I should go see what the rest of the 'pack' is up to. That, and I need to get ready for finals at school. I've taken too much time off as it is."

After Helena grumbled and slithered boneless to the mattress beside me, Ro propped herself up on an elbow. "School?"

"I'm an English teacher as a cover for my nocturnal superhero antics. I guess you missed that part of the story."

"No, I had only forgotten temporarily. A teacher," Ro mused and kissed me deeply. "How admirable."

Her comment pleased me in its respect for my vocation. "Thank you Sweetie. Give a girl a hand getting ready?"

"With pleasure. Helena, you stay put and I'll be back soon."

"'Kay," was the weary reply and Helena cocooned herself in the bedding. Ro snorted in amusement and pulled on the sweatpants until they butted into her tail. There was something incredibly playful and sexy about seeing her exotic form in the hazy sunlight with the gray sweats rakishly low around her hips. She roughed her hair up before yawning hugely and I grinned in delight.

"You're not going out like that are you?" I teased and she flashed her teeth at me in a half-threatening grin. Retrieving the first shirt she found, ironically mine, Ro returned to the bed. None of my clothes were even remotely within my reach. "Damn."

"I could dress you, Foxy, but I need a shower as much as you do," Ro growled playfully and I was suddenly flat on my back yet again, with her strong body straddling me. "And I'd rather bathe you myself."

It was going to be hard to say no to that gleam in her eye. I might as well face my fate gracefully. "I'm all yours." So she gathered my body into strong arms, sheet and all.

I could be honest enough with myself to admit that I was a bit disappointed that Helena wouldn't be joining us, but somehow this woman was less threatening to my sense of propriety. I had no history with her, no baggage and nothing to prove. Her very strangeness made her approachable and impossible to judge her behavior to any kind of 'normal' social norm. Which made me suddenly remember something that had been bugging me ever since meeting her.

"Ro?"

"Hmm?"

"Why aren't your eyes pink?" Taken aback by the question from left-field, Ro paused and blinked at me. I was fascinated again by the sideways-closing nictitating membranes. "Those have got to come in handy."

"The membranes or the eyes?" She chuckled and resumed walking. Sniffing at the air like an experienced hunter, she murmured, "do you smell that?"

Flashing her a wry look, I gamely sniffed at the air before shrugging. "Nope, you have me there." Ro grinned and nuzzled my face for a moment until I giggled softly.

"People use different chemicals in the bathroom, generally speaking. I smell the same ones that Alfred used in the clocktower bathrooms. People are creatures of habit. Care to be adventurous?"

A day ago, my answer may have been different, but this time I grinned gamely. "Sure." It was a big room, barely illuminated by the sunlight pouring past our combined mass once the door was opened. There was a click as the tail flipped the switch and we both stopped cold. "Wow," I breathed in pleasant shock.

"No shit. Boy, if this is one of the perks of living here and keeping the ladies of the house occupied, I'm definitely staying put."

The bathroom was an enormous space completely tiled in blues ranging from inky dark on the floor to almost white on the ceiling. It wasn't the vanity alcove off to the right that really drew us both. It was the bathing area. There was a massive tiled platform the size of my car, with handsome wooden lids over what I could only guess were three baths, and a half dozen showerheads ranged over the walls at different heights. There was even a couple with hose and head attachments that looked like they would reach halfway across the large room. The tail caught my eye again as it yanked open a nearby cabinet to reveal towels and bathing supplies.

"Gotta admire that Alfred," Ro commented softly. "I'm guessing that he wanted Helena to take this place for a long time."

"Oh, he's so happy she's finally taken this place, Ro."

"Yeah, I thought he was practically glowing. Grab a couple of towels." Curious to her motives, I did as she instructed and found myself sitting comfortably at the edge of the bathing platform on the towels. Two big teakwood benches rested against one wall and I admired the play of strong muscles as Ro moved them into the center of the room and pushed them together.

"My eyes were pink when I was a kid," Ro suddenly offered as she worked. "When… Squeakers and I were about four, she was messing around with some equipment and had a UV light nail her right in the eyes. So the scientists used the nanites to build a chemical barrier in our corneas to help filter light before it harmed us. Hence the faint bluish tinge. The nictitating membrane helps when I stare at something to long and don't want to blink. It's unnerving to others."

It was an interesting series of footnotes about her, and delivered in such a neutral tone, that I would bet there was far more the story. But this wasn't the time or place to gently pry because I was beginning to see where she was going with her construction project and I was starting to get excited. Those strong hands and the furry body had been a wild thrill and I was curious to see what else she was capable of. For a long moment, Ro paused and admired her handiwork before flashing me an incendiary grin. "Guess these are pointless," she chuckled and shucked off her borrowed clothes. Her fur stood up at weird angles all over her body, even slicked down in random directions where she'd been… wet down last night, so to speak. "See, I don't just get bed head," she joked and I laughed.

"So I see. Now quit showing off and kiss me."

"Yes ma'am."

Rowan Jones was a good kisser, she paid attention to what I liked and traded control of the intimacy back and forth. Her lips were soft, her tongue quick and sandpapery like a cat's. There was no hint of teeth today; it was apparent that she was calmer without Helena's wild influence. I hadn't been certain that either of the young women could play gentle, but Ro proved to me that my fears were unfounded.

 

++ Ro ++

It was easy for me to steal the sheet draped around Barbara's body, leaving her chuckling at my playfulness. It was quickly folded up and draped over my impromptu massage table before I went back for more towels

"I think we might start having to call you April," I said while finishing my preparations.

"Why?"

"Because April was the brains behind the Turtles, y'know? And Hel is Rafael all the way, troublemaker that she is."

How I adored making her laugh, it was obvious that she didn't do it enough. With the benches heavily cushioned and the internal heating system I found turned up slightly, I was ready to return to the beautiful redhead watching me. Humbled by the clear, piercing gaze, I crouched by Barbara's feet and felt unaccountably shy. After a moment, a gentle hand ran over my short hair and I nearly purred. "What is it?"

"I'm… intimidated by you," I confessed and hazarded a glance into her striking eyes.

"Intimidated?" She parroted in amused confusion.

"You're so smart and beautiful and you're bonded so tight to Hel. I just don't… don't wanna be any trouble." I hated these bouts of insecurity where I felt like a terrified eleven-year-old lost in the woods. Knowing that Doctor B was perhaps closer and more dangerous than she had been since South Fork was unnerving me. "I'd rather be back in that lab than hurt any of you."

In an instant, Barbara pulled me into the haven of her warmth and strength, the fierceness of her hug nearly suffocating. "I like having you here. You and Shan and Davie have been good for us and I kinda like having more heroes to order around." That comment earned the grin she was after and I leaned back to look her in the eyes. "You understand parts of Helena I don't and you understand parts of me that she never will. Huh, smart girl?"

"Thank you," I purred humbly and licked at the corner of her mouth, again submissive. It was almost easier with Barbara, where there was no feeling of physical one-upmanship. Despite the fact that I was quite certain those batons could give me a run for my money. Barbara was about out-thinking an opponent, not out-muscling them. My animal instincts had no problem giving in to her higher intellect. Particularly since she had given me free access to her body. Scooping Barbara up, I deposited her gently on the benches so that she could roll onto her stomach and relax.

The scars were worse on her back.

They were actually quite horrific: especially the shallow crater of long-ago damage, flesh torn away by a projectile no bigger than the last bone in my middle finger. Shrugging off the morbid fascination, I moved away to find something to file down my too-sharp claws and see if there was anything slick for her skin. Baby oil and an emery board were tucked into Helena's stuff on the counter and I was good to go. While I filed, I flickered my gaze from my fingertips to the scars and back again, looming over Barbara's trusting body.

"What exactly was the damage? I have a solid basic understanding of anatomy," I suddenly found myself asking bluntly and a sleepy green eye peered up at me. For a moment I was certain that she was going to tell me to fuck off, but again Barbara surprised me.

"Thirty-five caliber bullet fired at close range, hit me just under the navel and impacted the anterior surface of the fourth lumbar vertebrae. It cracked the bone, pinching off the left spinal branch and the bullet exited to just the left of my spine as you can see." I made an affirming rumble and crouched to trail my newly groomed nails over her back. "The swelling damaged the right side of the fourth lumbar as well as partial damage to the third and fifth. I'm damn lucky to be able to feel my hips and kept use of all my lower abdominal functions."

"So it could have been worse?"

"Yeah," she sighed and pressed her face back into her crossed arms. "It could have been much worse." There seemed little for me to say, so I plucked my thick, claw-like nails over her skin, not skirting the long-healed damage to her body. There were deep, straight grooves, bracketed in like the yellow lines on the road, that ran from hip to hip, the handiwork of the surgeons, hell-bent on saving her life.

"Barbara," I began hesitantly, tracing a finger over the scars. Again she twisted enough to focus one eye on me. "The fleas…" I lost my nerve for a moment, scared to bring it up because… because what if it didn't work? "The fleas, the nanites, might be able to reconstruct your spinal branches." The floodgates were open now and I raised my head to stare intently into her shuttered gaze. "They're capable of extensive biological reconstruction and they helped piece together my DNA in the first place, but I can't guarantee anything, and…"

There was a stunned hope that broke through the clouds of wariness in her eyes. It was a thin silver lining, but I felt my own hope rise up again. "How are you certain this might work?" Barbara asked me in a flat tone and I winced. This was exactly the reason I hadn't brought this up before. Her skepticism and my uncertainty were crushing. How the hell could I build her up if there was a chance it wouldn't work? Then I remembered that first time she had cried in my arms.

Pressing my hand flat to her horrible scars, I mustered up all my assuredness of a lifetime of academic achievement. "I don't know that it will work at all. But I want you to have the chance to be free."

Barbara rolled carefully onto her side to pull me into a one-armed hug that led to a kiss that left me whining in pleasure. She scratched almost roughly into my scalp, digging her nails into the back of my ears before gentling. "Thank you for the chance," she breathed almost soundlessly into my mouth and I had to think about what she was saying.

"My… my pleasure," was all I could formulate coherently for a long moment as my libido wrestled with my higher brain. Barbara smiled slyly, the lopsided, quirky expression making me grin back. She was such a delightful enigma. So she again rolled trustingly onto her tummy to give me access to her back and settled into a comfortable position. "It'll take months for them to build up to the kind of quantities we're talking about, but there might be a way to rig up a bigger home so that they can reproduce faster. We'll have to put our heads together. Later of course."

Barbara chuckled softly at my teasing and I began to sweep my hands over her silky back, pressing into the muscle and tendon beneath. She groaned softly and sighed at the attention while I deliberately lost my attention into her body. The solidness of her muscular yet feminine body was magnificent and I relished the chance to enjoy her naked and up close like this. Beneath the light sheen of baby oil, the delineation of every muscle was mouth-watering. The plane of her smooth back was perfect, the swell of her strong butt, sublime. The scars were just part of the terrain and I gently trailed the pads of my fingers over the marks so not to cause her any pain. Barbara's body language spoke volumes, her visceral delight at being touched like this for pleasure alone, her nervous tension and guilty joy at my fearlessness with her old wounds.

Not knowing exactly where her sensation loss began, I didn't avoid her lower body, caressing and massaging right down to her dainty little toes.

"Turn over," I whispered and she grumbled at having to help me with the effort so that she didn't roll off the makeshift table. Another towel cushioned her head and let me watch her smoky green eyes as I concentrated on her front side. Making a show of it seemed fitting, so I traced mouth and tongue over her feet, shins and higher before changing her taste with the oil on my hands. Any time I earned the slightest flutter of reaction or a shift in her deep breathing; I paused and concentrated my attentions for a moment. There were times I wished I had whiskers, and this was one of them, but instead I let my lips rest against her skin until I could judge if the response was worth coaxing up again. At her knees I began to get regular, twitchy reactions, and willingly worshiped at the bony caps while caressing the soft backs with gentle fingers. Binky was getting frisky now, lashing at the sultry air as my arousal grew. My noises were becoming more guttural, the interaction with her body more sexual and less merely comforting.

 

++ Barbara ++

"God, that's sexy," I breathed out almost soundlessly and caught a flash of Ro's grin as she rubbed her face over my thighs and wallowed in the thick smell of my desire. A rough pink tongue dipped into the crease of my thigh and pelvis, and I wanted desperately to wrap my legs around her head and keep her there where I was burning for her touch. Unfortunately, she seemed satisfied for the moment with just a hint of my taste. Each of my tense abdominal muscles was carefully washed by Ro's sandpapery tongue before it tickled into my navel and I giggle-groaned at the stimuli. I finally had to grab the white hair and Ro snarled wildly at me. I wasn't the least bit intimidated; the growling was more conversation than threat. I'd certainly heard enough of it in the last twelve hours or so. "Oh yeah baby," I groaned teasingly at Ro, who gave me a wide-eyed sexy smile. "Talk to me." Open, wet kisses danced up my torso, after a quick side trip to caress the little bullet scar lovingly. Part of me was disturbed at the attention and the odd half-numb wash of sensations from the scar, part of me loved her acceptance of my body exactly the way it was. Ro was hunched over me now, hungry to make me prey and I tightened my grip in her silky hair and growled softly back at her. She was aiming for the scattered curtain of my hair, but I decided that kissing was a better use of her time and felt her instincts take backseat to this most delicious of human interactions. It was easy to drown in her heat, feel the sprawl of her body and trade these sloppy kisses with her. I liked suckling at Ro's lips and tongue, letting the wet pressure shoot straight to every erogenous zone in both of our bodies. Her nips were light and teasing, leaving me to chase after her teeth and gently nip back. She and Helena had played a little rough with me before, and I was grateful that Ro could relax into subtler desires.

As Ro settled ever more heavily into my body, I felt my left leg start to slip and the tail lashed out to grab my wayward limb in a protective embrace, drawing my calf up over her pelvis. The ripe scent of my own arousal assaulted me as Ro shifted her weight so that her still-healing arm could skim down my body. I just knew where she was headed and I huffed in near-distress as her hand cupped around the wiry hair at my groin. I pulled away to catch my breath while Ro treated me to an erotic massage that was making me a little wild with the teasing. "So beautiful," she breathed feather-soft. "Sweaty and hot like this. I can smell how much you need it, feel you on my fingers, taste your lust in your sweat." Lost in her words and her touch, I squealed happily as she pressed past the curls and into the boiling slick of me.

"Ro… please. Please."

"Yesssssssssssss," she hissed softly and pressed two fingers inside my clinging body, her thumb snaking out to caress the tiny shaft of my deepest pleasure. Arching into the slow fucking, I was only dimly aware as my right leg began to slip. Ro froze for a minute and I was vaguely aware that the tail had grabbed my loose leg and tangled both feet up in the small of her back, leaving me open and vulnerable to her fingers. I knew I was begging for it, and didn't honestly care. That was her cue to rock her hips into my body, thrusting and withdrawing inside my heat, licking and kissing at my face and throat.

Oh yes, yes, it felt so good to be loved smooth and slow like this, Ro's gentle touch tugging me up that slippery slope to orgasm instead of pushing me over. Huffing, purring, moaning, her mouth and the tickle of her damp fur was everywhere, as the pressure in my belly built, spiraling out from the slide of her fingers between my legs.

 

++ Dick ++

The whole place was still quiet, all of them sound asleep in whatever corner they had chosen. It was a relief to feel life returning to the old manor. I was getting bored with the comfortable quiet lingering over the building and grounds. Eventually, I was desperate enough to see if I could sneak into the penthouse without disturbing Helena and wake Babs up. She had taken the pair of smaller rooms in the penthouse as her own, and I could understand that she wanted the views. More likely, she wanted to keep an eye out on Helena and the strange furry woman, Rowan. The twins seemed nice enough, but they were so odd. Shrugging off my unease, I took the lift up to the top floor, admiring Alfred's foresight to have the whole manor made wheelchair accessible. At the top, I wandered down the short hall to the entry door to what had been Bruce's inner sanctum. I still felt like a nervous sixteen-year-old and that annoyed me enough to try the handle. It was unlocked and I stepped into the space beyond. Winding past furniture and boxes, I was drawn to the brilliant sunlight coming in from the open door to the right. An odd noise wafted out as I noticed with some surprise that Babs' wheelchair was parked next to the massive antique bed that once belonged to Bruce. That was odd. She must have been uncomfortable in the smaller rooms and kicked Helena out. That would be just like her. So I grinned wickedly and decided to act like the boy I had once been and jump on the bed to startle her sleeping lump on the bed. Another strange, animalistic sound carried through the air. Was Rowan killing something nearby? I carefully climbed onto the bed, carefully balancing in the soft surface and prepared to pounce.

Then a sharp, guttural cry split the air and I froze. There was no mistaking that erotic sound… or exactly who had made it. The sleeping lump near me stirred and surged to life with a suddenness that shocked me. Not Barbara in the bed, but a ticked-off Helena, dark hair askew and lanky body looking like someone had thrown her to the lions. Again, Barbara's wanton cry echoed out of the bathroom and my stunned brain tried to decipher the scene.

Helena, looking like the final scene of a really rough porn flick, Babs screaming in ecstasy in the bathroom, Rowan nowhere to be seen, but I'd bet my kidneys that she was making those feral growling sounds…

It was Helena's laughter that finally got my poor brain working again. "The look on your face!" she was nearly doubled over in hysterics and I was only just registering that she really was as stark naked as I thought she was and how paralyzing embarrassed I was. "I didn't believe it, but some things are truly priceless."

Her laughter chased me from the penthouse like the hounds of hell were at my heels.

 

++ Helena ++

I locked the door behind the Boy Blunder to make sure that my goddamn new apartment would stay private. With that done, I scrambled for the bathroom, hoping I could catch the tail end of the action. Barbara's sounds were ramping down now, deep and heartfelt with satisfaction, and Ro's rumbles were soothing. Framing myself in the doorway, I took in the sight of Ro's fine body arched over Babs, Binky keeping the non-working feet locked in the small of her back. I could only just make out the soft kisses and nose rubbing around the bulk of Ro's strong body and Barbara's muscular arms, fingers deep in the white mane.

"My kingdom for a camera," I purred softly and watched them both crane their necks to look at me. "You two are amazing."

"'Morning," was Ro's smiling reply, still braced above Barbara's body on both hands. I sauntered over, feeling sexy and a bit shy. There was so much history between me and my green-eyed lover that I was feeling a little unsure.

"Loosen your grip," I encouraged, laying my hand on one of Binky's coils.

"Sorry," Ro was immediately all apologies as the tail released its crushing grip and I caught Barbara's right leg. Standing, Ro carefully gathered up Barbara's left leg and we looked down at the supine woman. "I got carried away."

"Yeah, no shit." Certainly not the most eloquent thing I'd ever said, but… damn. Painted every color of roses, flushed and sweaty and glowing in the aftermath of orgasm, green eyes glassy… I was vaguely formulating the idea that, if I were a little more normal I should be jealous, and then Babs smiled softly at me and any negative thoughts drained right out of my brain.

"You're here," she hummed happily and pulled her upper body into a luxurious stretch that left both of us kitties purring. Powerful muscles rippled under her silky skin and I gave into the urge to lean over and lick the salty sheen on her belly. "God I feel amazing today. You two are too good to me."

"Never," I hummed happily into her belly muscles and she giggled roughly. Barbara high on sleep, sex and endorphins was possibly the most wonderful thing I'd ever seen. So I laid my head on her torso for a moment and pressed both hands to her skin. Beneath my right one was the irregularity of her scars. "No one could be too good to you." Barbara smiled beatifically and my heart clenched. Had I ever not been wildly in love with her? My train of thought was derailed by the gurgle of Barbara's tummy just under my ear. "You're hungry."

"Now that you mention it, I'm starved."

"Bath first," Ro hummed quietly from where she had stepped away. Neither of us had even noticed. Oops. There was a shower of warm water that blasted over the both of us. "You're filthy."

Her grin was playful and a little challenging behind the hose and spray showerhead. She stepped closer to hose Barbara off and the redhead laughed as the water sheeted over her. Ro coaxed Barbara to shift around to get her hair washed and I helplessly wanted that task. Until Barbara distracted me by shampooing my short mane. Her caressing fingers in my hair and skritching my scalp was pure heaven, even if I did need to remain crouched uncomfortably over her.

"Your poor ear," Barbara noted softly and I hissed as she rubbed shampoo-coated fingers into that sore spot. "No biting so hard, Boo."

"Sorry, Raf," Ro apologized from where she sat on the floor by Barb's head. "You bring out the beast in me."

"'S'okay," I yawned as Barbara's fingers moved away from the nasty bite and massaged my neck. "Is that another of your silly Turtles?"

"Yep, Rafael was the bad boy, so I thought you'd like the name."

"Sweet."

Once I was shampooed up and rinsed with Ro's handy hose, I got the pleasure of soaping Barbara down, taking great pleasure in teasing her curves beneath the layer of sweet-smelling soap. Between me and Ro, Babs was humming in sensual contentment from having every square inch lovingly tended to.

"Would you like to soak for a few minutes while we get cleaned up?" Ro asked and Barbara smiled contentedly before nodding. "Helena? I have no idea how those tubs work. Give a couple of smart girls a hand?"

Chuckling, I went to the wooden lids lining the deep shelf to the left of the door. Beneath each was a carefully tiled tub ranging in size from one to an orgy. I set the small one to filling and Ro wrestled Barbara's body into the space. It was only a couple feet deep and big enough for a large man to sit cross-legged in. Its smallness would ensure that Barbara wouldn't have to work to stay upright since this place wasn't set up for her. The second was just a larger version of the first, with a shallow bench built in, but the one I was curious about was the big one. Under a split-circular lid was a big, honkin' tile-lined pit that could comfortably accommodate six people. Eight if they were friendly. Ro leaned over my shoulder to comment, "Squeakers will be so jealous." The cold tickle of her wet fur brought up my sympathy and I grabbed her in a crushing hug and a long kiss.

"Let's get you groomed, sexy."

"Please," she grinned and I leapt over to scoop up the fallen shower-hose. Soaking wet, Ro looked weird, her patchy fur slicked to her skin. We turned getting soapy and clean into a game, running teasing hands over one another's skin. She started growling again when I knelt down to attend to her lower body, deliberately sliding my slick hands between her legs and into the sensitive spot at the base of her tail. It was easy to slip past the wet hair and slide deep into her body, taking some of her weight when she hunched up and grabbed at my shoulders. A few slick thrusts and she was rrrowling in my ear, tugging at my hair with her teeth. The contractions started deep in her body, the muscles nearly painful in their strength. That tail took some serious buffness to operate. "Saints…" Ro breathed as I stroked her back into her skin, slow and gentle before leaving her heat. Licking my fingers seductively, I stepped away to retrieve the shower-hose yet again and rinsed her down.

"Sorry if I got any soap inside," I purred and Ro shrugged as she turned in the spray.

"'S'okay," she purred and stepped over to me to grab my wrist and aim the hose between her legs. The violet eyes were dilated and wild, the nictitating membrane half-mast. "Better."

"You are such a nasty tease," I chuckled and spluttered as she aimed the spray up my body and stepped away to go snuffle over the sleepily grinning Barbara.

"Ready to start your day?" Ro asked and Barbara hummed lazily. She was scooped out of the water and returned to the benches with their soaked coverings. We all toweled off halfway decently and went scrounging for clothes. The sky had grown surly and nasty out, damp air whistling through the still-open window.

"Storm brewin'," I noted and was abruptly grabbed and kissed thoroughly. "What was that for?"

"This," Ro growled and I squealed happily as she threw me on the bed and ravished me while Barbara laughed in delight.

 

++ Dinah ++

During my first visit here, I had taken note of the massiveness of the Wayne Manor. It wasn't just the size of the place, but the weight of history here. There was something almost tangible about the old money that built and maintained this place. With the mysteries of the Batcave directly underfoot, the building took on an almost living quality. Gabby had only murmured sleepily when I stirred awake, her body still wanting to sleep to encourage healing. Shan was already gone and I decided to try out my superhero skills and track her down. Calling on my knowledge of my pal, there were a variety of places that would appeal to her: the kitchen, any workout area, a high vantage point or the trees outside. It seemed only reasonable to start at the kitchen, grabbing a quick cup of coffee and a roll that Alfred had left out. Then the hunt began for real.

What felt like days later, I realized that I really just didn't have the patience for this. It was pouring outside in one of those lovely east coast cloudbursts that tried to drown a person. Unlike most bursts, this one hadn't dissipated, but was now merely pouring instead of doing a biblical flood impersonation. I was fairly convinced that Shan wasn't in the house and that left the grounds outside. The surrounding thick forest was much closer to the building at the back, so that's where I headed. The twins weren't comfortable with full exposure, especially in broad daylight, so she would want to get into the trees as quickly as possible. If nothing else, their poor albino skin and eyes would suffer something fierce in UV rays. There was a vast solarium that ran along the back of the Manor that was bigger than some parks I'd visited, and I padded along the edge of the walkways, keeping an eye out for my target. Then I came to the double glass doors and looked out at the storm beating down on the glass far over my head. I could barely make out the shape of the pool house and the heavy green of the forest. Nothing left to do but open the door enough to peek outside.

I was astonished to see Shan sitting on a lounger at the side of the enormous pool, knees trapped in the circle of her arms, face turned up to the storm above. And, damn, was it a storm. I had been in some doozies back in Missouri, but this was an impressive display, with periodic flashes of lighting in the dim afternoon and roaring thunder making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Something deep inside was tugged at by the untamed display and the very naturalness of Shan's presence in the middle of it. There was no denying that a big part of her appeal was the wildness that was so much a part of her. It terrified me, but in a good way. While I adored her humor and her easy acceptance, it wasn't those things that made me step into the raging storm. It was the tug of the feral, the primitive, the unknown…

Soaked, utterly drenched to my bones, I stepped into Shan's vision, well out of reach. I was jazzed to see her jerk with shock at my sudden appearance. The sound of her voice saying my name was lost in the chaos, but I recognized the way her lips shaped the word. Had it barely been more than a week since we'd faced off over our partners' fallen bodies? Already she had made such a difference in me and the way I looked at the world around me. Then I really looked at the way her mouth formed my name, the sensual play of those delicate facial muscles, lightning throwing her features into stark relief.

There was no reason to deny it, was there? Sure I was young, sure I was inexperienced in so many things, but I was damn certain of one thing with sudden clarity.

I really, really needed to know what she tasted like.

If I had thought about what I was doing, I would have panicked, but something in the shadowed violet eyes, something about her body language, something about the untamed forces around us gave me courage. Straddling Shan's long body, I wrapped my arms around her, our faces close, the rain beating violently on us. Then I finally knew what she felt like, the play of her lips against mine tentative and friendly. I barely had an idea of what to do, what I liked, but was determined to find out and pressed in deeper. I had no clue if that was the thunder or her rumbling like that, but it made both of our bodies vibrate as I caressed her mouth with mine. It felt incredible, soft and sweet, her taste mixing with the rain, her slender body pressed close. Then Shan took the next step, tilting her head, gripping my soaked hair in both fists, coaxing past my lips with a teasing tongue that was sandpapery enough to make me gasp. She felt… she felt… amazing. That smooth-rough tongue traced up under the edge of my upper lip, making my teeth tingle and I gave into the urge to tease back with my own. This time I knew the growl came from Shan, rumbling up from her chest to be breathed into me. It was enough to chase off any lingering nerves and I dove into her, wanting to know everything all at once.

We must have necked for the entire storm, not that I had any concept of time passing. Her hands low on my sides and something powerful wrapping around my waist and the back of my thighs finally made me jerk my head back. Slinky gripped me tighter as I propped myself up on my hands, only now realizing that I had shoved her flat and was fully straddling her. The storm may have passed, but the hurricane in her eyes was still wild. I had never kissed a girl, but looking at her wet, swollen mouth, I couldn't remember why the hell not.

"I've wanted to do that for awhile," I made myself say between the fading rolls of thunder; still feeling like the storm was surrounding us. Shan's hands rested at my waist, the weight of them grounding me and making me want to scream in frustration. There was the weirdest look on her face, the arousal mixing with what almost looked like panic. My heart sank at the implied rejection. "I… I should go," I blabbered idiotically and tried to get up and away from her hands and mouth and her strong body between my legs.

"No!" Shan finally came to life and yanked me back into a suffocating hug, not that I could have gotten away from Slinky's death grip around my hips. Huffing and purring, Shan pressed snuffle kisses into my drenched hair and ran her hands over my back. It was heaven. The little kisses on my temple and cheek finally coaxed me to turn my head and meet her eyes, so close to my own. "Stay, please. I'm just… surprised. Good surprised! But still…" I didn't want to talk just yet, and leaned that last tiny distance to capture her mouth again. Luckily, she seemed just as willing to drop the conversation for more pleasant activities. It was gentler this time, curious instead of just hormonal. Shan had a beautiful mouth, lean and sculpted like the rest of her, and she kissed so wonderfully that there was no chance that my mind was gonna wander. Those wandering hands were making me squirm and I had the vague thought that maybe we should knock this off before all this necking turned into heavy petting.

A loud grumble deep in Shan's belly gave me the perfect out, pulling my head back to laugh, "you need food." The words strangled in my throat as I watched Shan flinch away from the water still dripping from my hair. It wasn't that, but the way her thin tank top clung to her like a transparent second skin.

Woo boy…

The breeze kicking up after the cloudburst was chilling the water and Shan's little pink nipples were standing up at attention. Bet mine were too. Mouth suddenly dry with something I still wasn't sure I wanted to fully acknowledge, I needed to get up. I was overwhelmed, and it was freaking me out. But not enough to turn away from Shan when she scrambled up beside me and tilted my chin up to meet her eyes. She was starting to squint in the growing sunlight, but smiled softly at me. "Can I…" Obviously embarrassed, Shan paused and ducked her eyes away, leaving me less nervous and more curious.

"Can you what?"

Again the violet-pink eyes met mine, raw and vulnerable and hot enough to make my breath catch.

I did this to her. I made her like this, hot and bothered and scared. It was a visceral shock to realize that fact. I needed to be gentle with her heart, and I prayed that she would be gentle with mine. Cupping a hand around her cheek, I ran my thumb over her lower lip and shivered when she kissed the sensitive pad.

"Shan. Can you what?"

"Ask you out," she breathed and I was shocked again. "I can't promise anything like a normal date, but I think we could figure something out."

I stopped her nervous rambling by pulling her down to attack her mouth and buried my fingers into her hair. These were the best kisses, deep and sure, lips, teeth and tongue playing back and forth until we separated only far enough for me to speak very, very hoarsely. "I'd be delighted."

"Sweet," Shan grinned manically and kissed me again. At this rate we'd never make it inside for breakfast, lunch, whatever. "Can I ask you a question?"

"I think you just did."

That earned me a swat across the butt that made me squeak and get all flushed again. "Smartass. Why have you never read me?"

The question sobered me. "I… I don't know exactly. It's sometimes really hard for me to control. I think I'd rather get to know you the old fashioned way, y'know?"

"I know exactly what you mean. Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who doesn't love this song? If you don't then you won't understand the bittersweet poetry of it, the love and loss. I think that Barbara is overwhelmed yet calm about this new phase in her life, these sweet and feral women in her life and her bed. There are many people who see her as always so calm and self-possessed, but it takes a fringe personality to do some of the things that she's done. To don a costume or a persona and try and save the world takes a very special breed, and Barbara is one of the best.
> 
> Possession  
> By Sarah McLachlan
> 
> Listen as the wind blows  
> From across the great divide  
> Voices trapped in yearning  
> Memories trapped in time  
> The night is my companion  
> And solitude my guide  
> Would I spend forever here  
> And not be satisfied
> 
> (Chorus)  
> And I would be the one  
> To hold you down  
> Kiss you so hard  
> I'll take your breath away  
> And after I'd wipe away the tears  
> Just close your eyes dear
> 
> Through this world I've stumbled  
> So many times betrayed  
> Trying to find an honest word  
> To find the truth enslaved  
> Oh you speak to me in riddles and  
> You speak to me in rhymes  
> My body aches to breathe your breath  
> You words keep me alive
> 
> (Chorus)
> 
> Into this night I wander  
> It's morning that I dread  
> Another day of knowing of  
> The path I fear to tread  
> Oh into the sea of waking dreams  
> I follow without pride  
> Nothing stands between us here  
> And I won't be denied
> 
> (Chorus)


	9. Pour Some Sugar On Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ro and the gang learn more about Barbara's background and then prepare to take the fight to Harley.

++ Gabby ++

A quiet knock woke my poor bleary ass up. Blinking in confusion, I looked around the strange bedroom. "Miss Gabby?" Smooth British accent, calm tone, the squeak of a door. Looking over the other shoulder, I saw Alfred hovering in the doorway. A glance down told me that I was covered in a t-shirt and relatively decent. Goddamn if my hand didn't really hurt…

"Hey, Alfred."

"I believe that you may be requiring pain medication. And perhaps food and coffee?" Without waiting for an answer, Alfred came in with a tray while I just stared at him. "Now, if you will prop yourself up against the headboard, you can enjoy your breakfast."

While I had never been a poor kid exactly, my existence had been strictly no frills. This room I was in was bigger than my parent's! It was also the lap of luxury with a big, deep bed and heavy furniture. And those rooms upstairs that Helena had taken were like a movie set. Now, I had an honest to God British butler bringing me breakfast in bed. This was too wild… and a bit uncomfortable too. It didn't stop me from digging into the plate full of fluffy pancakes though, because I was starving. The little pills in a paper cup went down with some really rich coffee that made me salivate even more. Shit, maybe Helena would marry me… or at least adopt me. The food was amazing. Too bad it was obvious there was something truly complicated and hormonal goin' on with Helena, Ro and Miss Gor... Barbara. Bet that would be a carnal storm worth getting caught in. I let my mind wander into serious fantasy territory while I awkwardly ate with my unbroken left hand. Finally, I climbed from the bed, wondering where Dinah and Shan had gone and checked that I was wearing pants before wandering downstairs. Voices on the ground floor led me to the huge kitchen, where everyone but Shan and Di were hanging out. Helena's voice rang out as I walked closer. "Well, that's what you get for not knocking!"

In the kitchen, Helena was waving a Pop Tart animatedly in Dick Grayson's face while everyone looked on in amusement. The man looked a little sour and put out. "Yeah well…" he hedged and Helena gentled.

"Look, man, I love her; I've always loved her, y'know? Be happy that I got to help put that grin on her face."

It certainly wasn't the most eloquent of declarations, but the look on Barbara's face made it poetry. Even Ro grinned and I was captivated by the obvious signs of a very wild night all over the three of them. Bites and hickies decorated their different shades of skin and I knew I was never gonna get over my various crushes now. Certainly not after seeing the evidence of what must have been quite the wild night painted all over them. Dick ran his fingers through his dark hair and it stood out crazily. "Yeah, I know what you mean," he grumbled and flashed Ro an almost accusing look. "Are you a part of all this mushiness too?"

Ro shrugged with forced nonchalance. "No, I'm just the entertainment." When Helena and Barbara both made sounds of protest, Ro held up a hand to stall everybody. Davie merely leaned back in her seat and stared thoughtfully over the rim of her mug. It seemed obvious that she knew what was coming. "You guys have been incredible to me, really. It's just…" Her gaze was thoughtful as she hunched down into her chair, looking confused and painfully introspective.

"Miss Honey," Helena broke in matter-of-factly and suddenly went to sit on the table by Ro's knees and stare into the white woman's face. "Tell me about her." The gentle tone made my throat tighten up. A touch on my shoulder made me jump, startled to find Shan standing right behind me, soaked and tousled looking. Her expression was the weirdest combo of emotions: protective and pained and thrilled among other things. A gesture drew my attention back on the unfolding drama in the kitchen, where Ro sat stiffly, her arms crossed protectively across her body, Binky twitching in spastic agitation. Helena had her toes perched delicately on the chair between her legs and Barbara had leaned her head on one white shoulder, stroking her tense bicep. The violet eyes were more and more distant and unfocused, Ro's expression both fond and melancholy.

"I don't know what drew me… us to her barn, way on the outskirts of town. I liked the way she smelled, and that she sang to her cats to make them happy. I followed her to what I learned later was the schoolhouse, full of the scents of happy and content children, something I had never encountered. I think I was in love with her that first day, watching her interact with those kids, and I wanted that so bad I couldn't stand it. But I knew that people would see me like all people had always seen me, different and freakish. I wasn't like others, I smelled and looked different and had to be controlled and cooped up because I was different." Her voice was soft and childlike, and Shan was so tense that I thought she was gonna pull something. While Ro's voice kept talking, I kept my eyes on her twin, all too aware of Di pressed up close to Shan's back, stroking her arm. "It was a long time before she finally saw us, but I think she knew we were there. I almost cried and ran when she looked so shocked at my appearance, maybe even a little bit afraid. But I had one of her cat's baby kitties in my hands and I guess that she realized that I couldn't be too scary if the cats trusted me. I'd gotten so feral by that time that her speaking was only confusing to me. So she coaxed me the same way she did the cats, she hummed and sang until I was calm. Shan was shy, but she came around in time, once she realized, like I did, that this human wasn't going to hurt us." There were tears now, running slow tracks through the peach fuzz on Shan's cheeks.

 

++ Helena ++

How I hated seeing her hurt like this, and climbed off the table to wrap myself around her larger frame in a full body hug. "Go on," I breathed softly in her hair, feeling Barbara cuddled up beside us both.

"When Shan and me got a little bit older and figured out that we were getting adult needs, it wasn't easy to seduce Janelle, but I was determined. It was then that I really knew how I felt, so crazy about her than little else mattered. We were smart enough to learn everything that we could get our hands on, living odd hours so that we could use the library and the computer at the school when no one was there. That's why we called her Miss Honey, we loved Roald Dahl's books, and Matilda was our favorite. She was our Miss Honey, the one who took us in and taught us to be kind and smart and loving. Taught us we weren't freaks… " Sobs completely stopped the heartfelt confession while Ro clung to me with desperate strength. They were those wracking, painful ones that came from way the fuck down in the gut and hurt like hell. In the long run they made a person feel better though, so I clung back and hoped she'd get the rest of the story out. "Then Doctor B found us," Ro whispered and her grip turned fearful and her breath strangled. "She was our primary keeper, the main scientist that raised us in the lab, and she terrifies us. She was so cold, we were just things to her, lab animals, and it was awful when all we wanted was somebody to love us! And she wouldn't let anybody else love us either…" Shaking like an earthquake, it took a minute before she could continue. "She got a hold of Janelle and did something awful to her. She didn't even know us when we got her back, her eyes all empty and distant."

There was little else to say, just hold her and look over to where Dinah and Gabby were trying to comfort a traumatized-looking Shan. She gripped their hands for a moment before creeping over to wrap herself around our little huddle and purr softly. Cats didn't just purr in contentment, but also when traumatized, very ill or in need of comfort. They certainly weren't purring in contentment now, but a lot of things made more sense about the twins, the good and the bad. I was determined to help them get this Doctor B off their tails once and for all. We had a lot to accomplish today to get us closer to stopping Harley and her crew, but for now I remained wrapped up in my growing family and let them draw strength from me. There would come a day soon enough where I would need them to do the same for me.

It took some coaxing as a group effort, but we got the twins settled into a nap on one of the living room sofas. Once they were asleep in a big furry pile, Dinah and I drifted back into the kitchen where Davie gestured for us to join the others. The same agitated and disturbed expression was on Dick's face, and I almost felt bad for him stumbling into the middle of this. "What did she mean, a lab?" The man bluntly asked and Davie sighed, running agitated fingers through her black curls.

"Shan and Ro were genetically engineered by a mad scientist off of the western coast of British Columbia or Washington state. Somewhere in the San Juan islands. Sevarius Smith was the man behind the experiments, and he used almost exclusively metahuman DNA, because those genes are already in the process of evolving and changing. Their natural power cropped up when they were ten years old and they teleported away from the lab and eventually to the mainland. They ran loose like animals for about five, almost six seasons. A schoolteacher, Janelle Carter, found them and gave them a home. Doctor B, her real name is Julia Blackwell, is still chasing the twins to this day, not only to get them back, but those nanites they stole as well." Grumbling in agitation, Davie stared blankly at the tabletop. "I started hearing the rumors about the same time B did. Unfortunately, B got to Janelle first. Near as I could tell, she used a combination of telepathic manipulation, drugs and brainwashing. Janelle's effectively in an unresponsive, nearly vegetative state. She'll respond to basic stimuli, but little else. It was ugly in her head, like walking in broken glass. B's been so close on our butts ever since that I've never had a chance to get back to her and see if there's anything I can do. I arranged for Janelle to be kept in the custody of some metahuman pals of mine outside of Boston."

I looked at Barbara, seeing the same thought in her beautiful eyes. Maybe, once this was all over, we could give this other family a safe place to heal. "Will you tell me where she is?" Barbara asked softly and all eyes went to her. "We can try and help heal her. It's doubtful that even your evil Doctor B can get into this place."

Davie looked horribly torn and I jumped in. "At least think about it."

She only nodded.

 

++ Barbara ++

It had been a long afternoon, and I went down to the Batcave to work on the Delphi. Most of the system was activated, but it wasn't nearly as secure as I needed it to be. Alfred was there with Gabby assisting him in whatever he was doing, which looked like puttering about. I paused to look over at the large lumps on the other end of the vast underground platform, knowing all to well what was under those black tarps. Those were the technological heritage of the Bat legacy. Part of me wanted to go over and pull them away while part of me cringed in horror of the memories. There was no time now for nostalgia and I shrugged the ghosts away. "Alfred? Did you get those schematics I sent you?"

"Of course Miss Barbara, right over there. The processor is already linked into the Delphi."

"Great, thanks. Let's see what we can do to help out the flea circus here."

It amazed me really, that Ro trustingly let me keep these two pieces of amazing technology. Not only the nanites' powerhouse, but also the heavy brick of a hard-drive with all that information on it. Thankfully, Sevarius Smith had been a levelheaded mad scientist and the ports in both devices were standardized. The hard-drive easily plugged into the back of the massive bank of hardware that was the guts of the Delphi and the circus had a plug specifically fitted for the hard-drive. Information scrolled across the screens like machine gun fire, terabytes of it. This technology was more than two decades old and the intricacy of it boggled the mind. What had Smith created in the meantime? My mainframe was actually struggling to keep up with the flow. While that was getting set up, I went to the little device that Alfred had pointed out. It looked like some kind of science fiction egg trailing wires in all directions. A touch made one of the tiny windows open like the iris in a camera lens, to show the seamless interior, mirror smooth. It was easily ten times the size of the tiny device Ro had worn around her neck most of her life.

"Excellent," I chuckled.

"Miss Barbara?"

"Nothing Alfred, just muttering to myself. If Ro's willing to try and fix my spine, the least I can do is make the odds as good as possible." As though conjured by my thoughts, Ro wandered into the Batcave, scratching lazily at her belly and I tingled at the memory of those hands on and in me. One glance at the hardware chaos on the counter made her grin wearily. She looked better for a nap, but not by much. Disgorging all the old pain about her true love had worn her out. Looking around and scenting the air, the violet eyes took in her surroundings with feral efficiency before returning to me.

"There are bats living here," she noted, nose wrinkling at the faint smell of decades worth of guano at the edge of the platform we were all on. "Where are we?"

Ah, the moment of truth. "This is the Batcave." Ro flashed me a flat look that spoke clearly of 'duh' and both Gabby and I laughed. "Seriously, this is the domain of…"

"Batman," Ro added in softly. "Davie told me the stories about him. You knew Batman?"

Memories washed over me and Alfred looked sympathetic. "I… I was Batgirl," I managed to get around the lump in my throat. Now the pale eyes were astonished and Ro came over to crouch at my feet. There was a strangled noise behind me and we both looked back to see the strangest look on Gabby's face.

"I had a Batgirl doll," she said quietly and made an odd face. "My dad loved all those old stories. Said Batman saved him once from a mugger. I really thought my old man was cracked."

"No, Batman was all too real."

Ro trailed a finger over my knee and thigh until I almost giggled at the broken, tickly sensation. "That's why the Joker came after you," she mused gently. "Not just to hurt Batman and your dad, but because you helped stop him. God, Barbara… wow." The admiration both warmed and embarrassed me, even as the sympathy brought tears to my eyes. "Some of the stories made the circuits, but I don't think anyone made the connection, but now that I know, I can't believe I never put two and two together." A sudden grin made me smile back. "You should hear the rant from Davie in my skull. She's all cheesed off that she never figured it out. She's speculating on the new guy upstairs."

"Tell her to ask him herself. I was still a teen when I realized that my dad knew Batman and I took it on myself to start running the night alone. I actually had several run-ins with Helena's mother that taught me a lot. When Batman finally tracked me down, it was another few years before we realized that we knew each other. There's something to be said for hiding in plain sight."

"Helena's mother?"

"You'll have to ask her for that story," I smiled and she pouted mockingly until I leaned over and gave her a friendly kiss. "Now you're mine forever, because you know all my secrets."

Ro chuckled into the kiss, deepening it for a moment before rubbing her face over mine. "With pleasure, Oracle. I see you got impatient." I had to follow her gesture to the egg to figure out what she was talking about. It startled me to see Gabby standing nearby; I kept forgetting the girl was here. She had a focused, intense look on her face and I felt embarrassed at my friendliness with Ro.

"Hey, you offered me a once in a lifetime chance. I'm excited," I teased lightly, forcing my attention away from Gabby's intensity.

"I know," Ro smiled fondly and half stood to kiss me thoroughly once more. "May I?" Still flustered from the kiss, I nodded and she flopped down into the rolling office chair I'd had brought in for her. "C'mere Gabby, and we'll wow you some more with additional secrets." Binky started to sway more intently in the air as the teen moved in close and Ro became engrossed in the information on the big plasma screen. Rather than make her explain what she was doing, I merely pulled up beside her and watched. "Okay," she said after some intense programming and the circus suddenly had a green light gleaming faintly beneath its clear surface. "You wanna see how they work? This is an easy task, watch." Looking down at her own chest, Ro plucked something from the white fabric. "See?" I shook my head and she raised her clenched fingers to the light. Between her fingers was a single strand of hair, gleaming darkly burgundy-brown in the glare.

"Helena's hair?"

"Really, this is all it takes. All a person's DNA is included in every cell, so this is all the bugs need." With a gentle touch, the flat window on the flea circus shimmered slightly and Ro dropped the hair onto it. For a moment it didn't move, then like the Titanic, the hair tilted to one side and began to sink through what had been a solid, clear surface.

"Wow," Gabby breathed in fascination and I nodded in agreement.

"They can control the molecular cohesiveness of the windows. That's how they pass back and forth when involved in a project. Here we go."

My eyes were drawn away from the vanishing hair and up to the Delphi screen. Already, gigabytes of information were blazing over the enormous plasma screen before us. There was a smaller window open that showed what I had been working on before this. Leaning back with satisfaction and waving a lazy hand at the screen, Ro purred, "the genetic makeup of Helena Kyle." It was so strange to see the woman I was mad about reduced to a river of numbers. "Oh, and I had an idea," Ro suddenly jumped into action, swooping over the keyboard and pulling up another window. "Normally, the little powerhouse there," a gesture confirmed that she was talking about the flea circus, now done eating the lone hair. "Is the brains of the operation. It controls every move the nanites make via electronic signals. It's gonna take the buggers weeks to fix your spine, so I was thinking that some of them can be programmed as supervisors to keep the others working in chain gangs." The mental image of tiny convicts all in a row made me laugh out loud and the other two looked at me oddly. I kissed Ro quickly and gestured at the computer keyboard.

"Just a funny mental image, go on."

"Well, now it's just a matter of programming them to the specific of an individual job, and that just takes a little time."

"How do you do that?" Gabby asked and Ro chuckled.

"Do you use computers?"

"Sure, at school all the time."

"So, you know how Windows works, right?"

"Sure," she shrugged, not sounding sure at all, and Ro grinned.

"When you put your cursor on a button and push it, you release a complicated series of instructions to the computer's hard drive that produces the desired result."

"Right, I'm with you so far."

"Good. The nanites work on similar principles. If I had to cold program the bugs every time I used them, I'd grow old and die before they built a single circuit or human cell. What I have is a ton of already programmed generalized tasks that can be tailored to a larger, more specific task."

Gabby looked thoughtful, rubbing her lower lip and Ro smiled fondly. I knew how she felt. Young Gabby Anderson had always been a damn bright kid, occasionally to the point of annoying her teachers, as I had experienced first hand. She was one of those students that teachers loved and dreaded, the ones that made us work really hard to mold into something greater than they were.

"So, it's like tailoring the Windows setup for an individual user."

"Exactly."

"Cool," Gabby smiled at having some of the mystery solved and I chuckled.

"Oh," I suddenly broke in and gestured to the haphazard setup that Alfred had cobbled together in the last few days. "I almost forgot. There are materials that I noticed on the hard-drive that you need for utilizing the nanites on a biological project." Curious, Ro stood to wander over and study the rack of clear plastic containers. "The materials are already at near-microscopic sizes and in the same saline solution that the fleas live in."

Touching each container as she named it, Ro murmured, "Iron, zinc, silver, gold, calcium, tin, salt, potassium. Wow. And damned if this chemistry set doesn't look like something from a mad scientist movie!"

"Finest medical suite that money can buy. It's more chemicals than I've ever seen in one place before."

"Well, hopefully little of this will be used, but I've never sic'ed the little buggers on something as delicate and complicated as gray matter before. If they can build me and Shan, I'm pretty certain that they can rebuild your crushed spinal branches. The rest of the stuff is just really basic reconstruction for them. And…" she had noticed the metal 'egg' and bounced over. "I know what this is! Sweet! With this kind of refined materials and this kinda breeding ground…" Pausing, Ro turned and fired me an incendiary look from under her shaggy bangs. Prowling over, she leaned over to kiss me with single-minded thoroughness, kicking my already wild hormones into overdrive. "You stand an incredibly good chance of walking again."

Hope was such a mercurial thing, uplifting and terrifying all at the same time. While Ro proceeded to press my head back and kiss me until my head swam, my brain still obsessed with the lure of walking again.

"I say, Miss Ro…"

Poor Alfred's voice trailed off and Gabby chuckled throatily. Ro ran her tongue around my upper teeth and growled so that my skull vibrated before leaning back to look at the butler. "What can I do for you?"

"There is a package for you from a pharmaceutical company."

"Great! That's the last puzzle piece, thanks Alfred. Here, Babs, these are for you."

Inside was a big, rattling bottle of… prenatal vitamins. "I don't get it, I'm not pregnant." Ro chuckled at my confusion, kissing me quick and hard before tapping the plastic bottle with a nail.

"No, but those give the nanites their basic building blocks, same as they would for a fetus. That's all I've ever used, but your back will be more complicated than broken bones and whatever else. We should get the bugs into their new home so that we can get started as soon as possible, huh?"

"Please!"

 

++ Alfred ++

Being a gentleman's gentleman, I was unsure how to accommodate all of these… women. As much as I may have enjoyed spending time with them within the confines of the Clocktower, having them here at Wayne Manor would be a very different proposition. There were changes coming, and they were not to be of the minor variety, I suspected. As though conjured by my thoughts, Miss Helena's voice rose to an agitated volume, clearly carrying into the kitchen where I was working.

"Look! I'm not wearing some ridiculous sci-fi getup that makes me look like some roof-dancing freak! I don't have a life, but I will damn well dress like I have one!"

Oh dear, I seemed as though my interference would be required. Wiping my hands on a dishrag, I stepped into the great room to regard Miss Helena pacing in the manner of a caged animal. Miss Davie watched her with a fascinated and frustrated expression, and I knew exactly how she felt. Master Bruce's volatile child was an endlessly fascinating puzzle of complex emotions and desires. It was both disturbing and gratifying that Miss Barbara had taken the girl in hand… so to speak. There was some doubt that any other living person could handle the wildcat.

"Miss Helena?"

My voice drew her blue eyes over to me, her expression calming instantly. Heaven only knows why, but I had always soothed her wilder side. Like a pet cat, she padded over to me as though seeking affection, but refusing to ask for it. She was indeed agitated today; her eyes flickering about almost nervously and I tried to determine why she would feel like this.

It was so glaringly apparent that I was quite disgusted with myself for not determining her needs more quickly. Like any animal, domesticated or otherwise, she was within a new territory and was understandably skittish. Gently, I reached out and set my hand on her tense arm. It wasn't in my nature to be 'touchy-feely' as Miss Helena might phrase it, but it seemed the right thing to do.

"I think I may of some assistance with this dilemma." Nodding silently, the girl trailed after me, Miss Davie in her wake. Nearly nine years I had had Wayne Manor to myself, and the isolation had grown quickly tedious. So I had learned many tasks in that time. "Once your father left, I was alone here at the manor and quickly learned all manner of talents relating to your particular line of work."

I was forced to admit that I was secretly amused at the shocked and awed expression on Miss Helena's face when the light clicked on. "Wow…"

"This was where the Batsuits were designed and built," I explained and gestured the two women inside of the cluttered room. "There is all manner of personal armor within the confines of this room. Perhaps we can come to a compromise that suits your fashion sense."

Then Miss Helen's eyes came to rest on what I had hoped she would notice and perhaps even approve of. In more than eight years, I had grown to be very familiar with many quirks that made up Helena Kyle. There were times when Miss Barbara pushed the girl too hard, attempting to make her fit a role ill-suited for her. Miss Helena was a free spirit in the most archetypical sense of the word. On the other hand, she was desperate for acceptance and family. The constant conflict showed in her every action, in every movement and word. Years of watching her inspired me to artistic heights and I was quite proud of the accomplishment.

It was a suit of armor. But not just any suit of armor. Every line of stitching, every layer of flexible armor costing hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars per square foot, every line that would hug her lithe frame had been put in very specifically for her psychological needs. Just like her mother, Helena Kyle was a cat, and cats were insistent upon looking suave and dignified. While many wouldn't be caught dead in such a get up, it suited this feline woman perfectly.

"Oh, oh Alfred," she squeaked out in childish delight. "You made this for me?" Bouncing over to the empty suit, Miss Helena hurriedly stripped out of her shirt and I prudently turned away. "This is perfect, how the hell did you know?"

Watching Miss Davie watch Miss Helena with a small smile, I replied, "The conflict over armor and masks has always been a sore topic between Miss Barbara and yourself. This was my way of weighing in on the subject."

"Man of few words you are, Alfred Pennyworth. Hey! This thing is silk lined! Fuckin' sweet!"

"To reduce chaffing."

"Stop ogling, you dirty old lady," Miss Helena sassed and Miss Davie laughed in delight. "And what are these fastenings?"

"Self-healing zippers. It is a technology that Master Dick discovered some time ago. The material works on similar principals as Velcro, only far stronger. It will ensure that the suit is expedient to get in and out of."

"No shit, turn around."

It was perfect. Wrapped in supple black from the neck down, Miss Helena already looked more secure to my practiced eye. Striding over, I tugged at the long seam running at an angle from her abdomen to her shoulder blades. Thankfully, they appeared to be lying against her skin in the manner that I had hoped. Chaffing was a constant danger with these suits and even such a trivial distraction could be a matter of life and death. "There are a variety of modifications made for your body type," I explained and ran experienced eyes over the suit now that she was filling it out. "When Mistress Harley," I sneered mockingly and Miss Helena grinned in delight. "Is once again safely in custody, I will tailor this to you if there are any problems with it."

Blue eyes filled up with bright tears and I smiled fondly. There was something very simple and childlike about this young woman, as hard as she tried to hide it behind her aggressive façade. "This is…" her soft voice trailed off and my smile deepened.

"I know," I soothed gently and then was all business again. "Your mother in her day would have killed for something that made her look this good."

The attempt at humor earned me a laugh, for which I was grateful. Then I was suddenly startled by strong arms being thrown around my neck in a rough hug. It was only for a moment that I felt all of her strength and gratefulness, before I was abruptly released and Miss Helena was fussing over me. "Shit Alfred, sorry. I didn't mean to mess you up."

"No, that's quite all right. I'm quite accustomed to your enthusiasm. Perhaps you should find your teammates and allow them to comment on your new attire."

"Yeah!" She crowed and was gone from the room in a flurry of activity. For a moment, Miss Davie only eyed me quietly before she chuckled.

"You did mean, of course, that she should go show off and preen?"

"Oh," I scoffed mockingly. "Perish the thought. She requires a chance to 'strut her stuff', if you will. Miss Helena's powers are directly affected by her mood and I would very much like her to return to this house alive and intact."

Miss Davie smiled in understanding and nodded before wandering farther into the armory. "You're a good man, Alfred."

 

++ Ro ++

We had been slaving away at the Delphi all day like sled dogs. " _Ready for a change of pace?_ " It had been so long since Davie had been in my head, that I was almost startled by the feel of it.

" _Sure, what did you have in mind?_ "

" _Alfred tells me that there's quite the arsenal of toys down there._ "

" _Dirty old lady._ "

" _Pain in the ass._ "

" _Flatterer. Does Dick know anything about them?_ "

" _You tell me! You're the one hanging out with Batgirl._ "

" _It's really bugging you that you didn't figure that out._ "

I didn't need to see Splinter's face to know that she was scowling and grousing. Davie hated missing clues and it made me chuckle. Barbara looked over and I flashed a grin, to which the beautiful green eyes ducked away from and she flushed prettily. She was such a sensual creature, bold and shy by turns. I'd enjoyed teasing her mildly all day and smelling the shifts in her body. So I slid my chair over until it nudged up against hers and nuzzled in her hair. "Ready for a break?" Hands paused over the keyboard as I nibbled at her ear, and my hands came to rest on her body. Breath sucked in shakily as I flirted and her smell shifted abruptly. "I've been neglecting you today, hmmm?" I slid a friendly hand up her thigh, but was thwarted by the sound of the nearby elevator arriving. Gabby had been sent off on an errand and I assumed that it was her returning, so I leaned away from Barbara's heat.

Imagine my shock at the picture of Helena draped loosely in the doorway, smiling wickedly. "Meow," she chortled and sauntered out of the elevator with a sensual sway that made me drool. By the way Babs stiffened under my hand and caught her breath; she was as floored as I was. Someone had made her a costume… not merely a covering to keep her safe and her identity a secret, but had captured her personality in the canvas of inky black. It ran over her like a loving second skin, stitched in artistic lines that didn't merely run from top to bottom or back to front, but drew the eye to follow her feline lines. It was amazing.

"Now that's a catsuit," I admired and Helena laughed in happiness. God, she was preening and strutting like a peacock, utterly delighted by the way she looked in the outfit. It was amusing and sexier than hell to watch her move like a runway model showing off.

"Isn't this thing amazing?" Helena gushed and sauntered over to straddle Barbara's lap. "If you'd made me one of these years ago, I'd have stopped hassling you over a costume."

"You're still not in a mask," Barbara noted faintly, her hands and eyes wandering over the lines of the armor.

Helena stuck her tongue out like a petulant kid and reached up to cup her own breasts in her hands. "I'm not flashing any cleavage, which kinda bugs me, but after that last knife wound, I'm kinda liking this high-collared Mortica Addams look. I'm armored up and can still be seen in public, y'know?" I chuckled at her show-offing feline antics and reached out to give her a friendly swat across the ass. The material of the suit was thick and heavy, but quite flexible.

"It's great," I enthused. "What's it made of?"

"Don't know, don't care," Helena cackled and squirmed on Barbara's lap from my spank. Abruptly, she yanked open the weird zipper well past the line of her breasts and grabbed Barbara's hand to slip it beneath the material. "It's lined in silk so it doesn't chafe, can you feel?"

By the glaze in Babs' eyes, I seriously doubted she was aware of anything but Helena's soft skin. Blue eyes gleamed wickedly as Helena leaned over her lover, pressing their bodies together, writhing sensuously like a cat in heat.

"I like the way it feels," Helena growled, tugging Barbara's head back with gentle handfuls of red hair. "It's slippery and warm in here, like your body around my hand, or the way I get thinking about you."

Nibbling delicately at Barbara's parted lips, Helena teased unmercifully, licking and nipping, but not actually kissing. Until Barbara whimpered softly and breathed out, "please." Smiling beatifically, Helena kissed her long and deep and slow. It was one of the hottest, most erotic things I had ever witnessed.

Then the hum of the elevator broke up the intoxicating moment and Helena licked the tip of Barbara's nose. "Later," she growled sensuously and bounced to her feet to sashay her fine ass over to the elevator. It was a promise and a threat.

"She's going to be the death of me," Barbara whispered faintly and I smiled sympathetically.

"Yeah, but what a way to go."

Once we'd gathered up everybody in the Batcave, Dick took most of the gang in hand and went to the mysterious tarp-covered shapes. I actually heard Davie gasp as the largest was dramatically unveiled. "The Batmobile," Dick explained and we all admired the sleek lines of the big vehicle.

"Big deal," Helena scoffed. "It doesn't look all that different than my car."

Barbara chuckled softly and picked up a remote control from the console behind her. Across the ledge, the others jumped back as the Batmobile hummed to life. Like it had a mind of its own, the whole vehicle began to change. Great sheets of armor fanned over the empty wheel wells, the passenger bubbles and other vulnerable points for protection. It whirred and groaned as the entire rear end yawned open and a massive engine rose from the car's superstructure.

"Wow," Helena breathed and looked annoyed that she was so impressed. While I focused on programming the nanites, the others were drafted into getting the various vehicles into working condition. The little flying wing in the shape of the bat symbol was certainly the most interesting. Thankfully, with Alfred's TLC and foresight, it was basic maintenance, fluids and tires and the like.

"Hey! This things a beaut," Shan crowed and we all looked over. In my line of sight, Barbara stiffened and turned back to the Delphi. Through the scatter of bodies, I could see the streamlined bulk of what appeared to be a motorcycle. It took a minute for Shan to pick up on the tension in both Barbara and Dick. I scooted closer and touched Barbara gently.

"It was yours, wasn't it?"

The tears in her eyes were answer enough.

In the end, it was decided that I would man Batgirl's sleek machine, with Dinah as my passenger and partner. When Shan started to protest, Barbara just held up a hand and crisply explained herself. "This is business and the last thing anyone needs is hormones distracting them. You're with Huntress, Mikey. Davie, if you go with Dick in the Batwing to keep telepathic communication open, that'll let Shan and Helena take Robin's bike. They're fast and maneuverable and less conspicuous than the Batmobile. It's been awhile since Gotham has seen that beast. With the Delphi slaved into Batman's old systems here, I can track the bikes and the wing, and control them if absolutely necessary. Tonight we take the fight to Harley. This has to stop and it's up to us to do it."

As the afternoon grew towards evening, I imperiously called for a power nap, swinging Barbara into my arms when she objected to leaving the Delphi alone. But Helena pulled the fastening open nearly to her navel and the protests died. We loved her long and slow and thorough, before falling asleep in a sloppy pile of sweaty bodies and soft breathing.

 

++ Doctor B ++

It was unforgivable, what I had been reduced to. A scientist of my caliber was to be clamored for, not reduced to scrabbling in the shadows like filthy vermin.

Those damned twins would pay for their betrayal and for driving Sevarius over the edge into madness. After capturing that schoolteacher in hopes of using her for bait, Sevarius insisted on having her sent back to the main lab. I knew from the start that it was a bad idea, with those Seventeens able to teleport. For nearly three days I had prowled the forest with my mutate assistants, as they could track the Seventeens better than I. Sevarius had kept the lines of communication open and I had listened to the destruction the twins had wreaked on the lab.

Something in Sevarius had snapped.

Oh, I had always known that he was capable of extremes, with his kind of genius came a certain kind of madness. The return of his lost masterpiece to bring on him what looked like revenge had been too much. In the ensuing chaos, everything and been destroyed, leaving me with only my incomplete copies of the research and two mutates, Twenty-six and Thirty-two.

The burn of Sevarius' betrayal still burned hot after all these long three years and I consciously slowed the race of my thoughts. How dare he destroy the lab! No, I must be calm, smooth, icy, no one could touch me or break my concentration. Those damned Seventeens would pay dearly for their escape, which had set off the chain of events cumulating in Sevarius' death and my exile.

With the lab destroyed, I needed those nanites to begin again and nothing, but nothing would stop me. I was so close! I had nearly had the one while in that filthy alley before the car had performed an act that only the freakish metahumans could have performed. The blonde girl, I was guessing by the way she stared so intently at the vehicle. I always hated that Sevarius had been so insistent that we use metahumans in the experiments. I had very nearly walked out on him more than once, but he was brilliant and the sheer scope of the work kept me there. As though conjured by my thoughts, Twenty-six crept from her corner to sit by my clenched fist. There was little point in hitting her when she was behaving, even if it might relieve some of my frustration. If the little freak wasn't so valuable to me, I would have killed her years ago and she knew it.

The only bright spot in my life was that the maddening Harley Quinn had kept to her promise. While this lab was unspeakably primitive to the standards I deserved, it was far better than I'd had recently. There was chance I might actually be able to accomplish something here. Leaping to my feet, I ignored Twenty-six flinching away and strode over to the exam table. Nothing would be accomplished by brooding and I had things that needed to be done. After tailoring the super-drug that Harley wanted, I could concentrate on furthering my research as much as humanly possible under these conditions.

After all, I must be prepared for the success that now lay close enough to grasp.

"Twenty-six!" I barked harshly and she nearly tripped over herself to scramble to my side. "We need to finish those calculations and prepare for our guests."

Wincing, the little freak did as I demanded, bouncing over to the computer bank and getting to work. I couldn't care less about what she wanted or did not want. She was nothing more than a smart animal created to facilitate the advancement of genetics begun by Sevarius Smith. The fact that she was valuable for her abilities with machines was the only reason she was still alive. Just like those damnable Seventeens, she was too smart for her own good. Only her fear kept her loyal, but as she grew older, I knew that she would begin making alterations to my careful psychological conditioning. Soon her usefulness would not outweigh the trouble of keeping her around. But all of that would be of no matter to me once I had the Seventeens back in custody and could start the research back up. The four mutates would be enough. They would have to be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hated writing in Doctor B's POV, but her voice needed to be heard so that you can see just how awful she really is. Harley is easy by comparison. Why this song you ask? Honestly, I'm beginning to wonder myself. Like I've done before, I think perhaps that the lightness of the song offset the darkness of the chapter. Just remember that there's hope driving them. And hope, together with teamwork, will bring them home.
> 
> Pour Some Sugar On Me  
> By Def Leppard
> 
> Step inside, walk this way  
> You and me babe, Hey, hey!
> 
> Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on  
> Livin' like a lover with a radar phone  
> Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp  
> Demolition woman, can I be your man?  
> Razzle n a dazzle n a flash a little light  
> Television lover, baby, go all night  
> Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet  
> Little miss innocent sugar me, yeah
> 
> (Chorus)  
> C'mon, take a bottle, shake it up  
> Break the bubble, break it up  
> Pour some sugar on me  
> Ooh, in the name of love  
> Pour some sugar on me  
> C'mon fire me up  
> Pour your sugar on me  
> Oh, I can't get enough  
> I'm hot, sticky sweet  
> From my head to my feet yeah  
> Listen! Red light, yellow light, green light go!  
> Crazy little woman in a one man show  
> Mirror queen, mannequin, rhythm of love  
> Sweet dream, saccharine, loosen up
> 
> You gotta squeeze a little, squeeze a little  
> Tease a little more  
> Easy operator come a knockin' on my door  
> Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet  
> Little miss innocent sugar me, yeah
> 
> (Chorus)
> 
> You got the peaches, I got the cream  
> Sweet to taste, saccharine  
> Cuz I'm hot, say what, sticky sweet  
> From my head, to my feet
> 
> Do you take sugar?  
> One lump or two?


	10. Brave and Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The obligatory battle scene!

++ Shan ++

Lazily, I breathed in a deep, luxurious lungful of the warm scent surrounding me. We smelled good together. The purr rumbled up without conscious thought and I burrowed past the tangle of blonde hair. There was a sleepy moan as our twined bodies began to stir and I tightened my grip around her. A faint giggle made me grin and Dinah twisted her head around to smile at me. There were times her youth clung to her like scent, and times that she seemed decades older than her nearly eighteen years. With a sinuous twist of her body, Dinah had one arm over her head, and was pressed closely to me. "What are you thinking?"

For the moment, I only set one hand on her belly, where her shirt had ridden up and Dinah sucked in a shaky breath. Her skin was silky and almost hot and she jumped and squeaked when I caressed over her navel and mid drift.

"Stop," she gasped and grabbed my wrist, bringing my eyes back to her face, which was flushed now.

"Ticklish?"

"Kind of," she whispered and I abruptly realized that I was being dense. Again, I twitched my hand into the tense muscles and Dinah's eyes nearly rolled back in her head. Oh, I liked that. On the spur of the moment, I twisted to pin her down with my body and attacked her torso with stubby claws. In seconds, Dinah was shrieking for mercy and laughing with me. Then the mood shifted again, as I watched her writhe and toss her head on the pillows. A moment of mercy resulted in something soft and firm smacking me in the back of the head, the pillow falling to my side after being telekinetically thrown. Face to face with this amazing young woman I was falling so hard for, with her curvy body pressed solidly to mine, I couldn't resist her mouth. She made some indistinct noise and threw both arms around my neck.

Neither of us was a neat kisser, but I liked the slobbery interaction that was just…so…us. Growling, I traced my tongue back behind her teeth to gather up her taste and yipped and jerked away when she bit playfully at me. "Tease," I chuckled breathlessly, still pressed tightly to her.

"Yeah, well, you're a good teacher," Dinah whispered back and I felt her stroking the back of my neck and ears. Then her left hand stroked the cup of my long-cat-like ear and I knew exactly what she had spotted. "What's this?"

Unbidden, the memories crashed through me and I heard Dinah catch her breath. The bar code and the hated '17B' had been tattooed onto the sensitive inside curve of my ear long before I could remember. Probably right out of the damn tank that had nurtured our fetal selves, knowing Doctor B. Every time me and Boo were poked and prodded at, every time she was put through yet another test or experiment, every time they took another sample of blood or hair… they would scan the small barcode tattooed in our ears. I had spent the first half of my life being Seventeen B; the unexpected spawn off of Sevarius Smith's perfect little genetic package.

"You're not second best," Dinah was growling heatedly into my ear, her grip like iron around my neck. "You're not. You're perfect exactly the way you are."

That old wound didn't come up very often, the childish resentment from a young life of neglect and abuse. Even if Ro had been forced to take the worst of it, I still bore scars on my heart and soul. Grumbling and purring, I took solace in this wonderful young woman I knew was underestimated far too much. We kissed again, soft and gentle now, the only way I could get 'thank you' past the lump in my throat. Dinah kept stroking the tattoo with her thumb while drawing me deeper and deeper into our combined arousal. Only her startled squeak and a handful of warm softness jerked our attention back to the present. Snatching my hand away from her breast, I hastily apologized. "S… sorry."

"That's okay, I like your touch," Dinah admitted shyly and gestured downward. "Check out Slinky."

Sure enough, my damn tail had coiled between us, pulling her thigh up high between mine so that our pelvises were practically fused. Hormones and frustration and high emotions made us giggle. At least as good as the making out, was the cuddling like this, the arousal between us now a low simmer. Eventually, the room slid into almost total darkness and I knew it was time to go patrol good ole New Gotham. Dinah only just beat me to it. "I guess… I guess we should get down there, huh?"

"Yeah," I answered absently, lost in her night-darkened eyes. There was definitely something building here, something that was amazing and a little scary. Scary in a good way, like leaping from building to building in the dead of night was scary, or hunting for prey that could fight back. "Will I see you in the morning? Here?"

"Count on it."

I laughed at the pillow that she had telekinetically thumped me with and headed downstairs while she showered. The thought of her wet and naked had me distracted enough to walk right into Alfred. "Sorry," I fussed and tried to right him.

"That's quite all right Miss Shan. The others have gathered in the cave if you would care to join them."

Which of course translated into, 'get your butt down there.'

Ro was already suited up, but I could tell that the familiar armor had been modified. Looked like Splinter had been playing again. I rubbed cheeks with my sister, then Davie and then Helena as she yawned at me like a cat. "You ready partner?"

Helena grumbled something unintelligible and licked my cheek so that I chuckled.

" _C'mere_ ," Davie 'pathed me as Barbara started to speak.

"The school called this morning to ask why I wasn't in." Her dirty look at Boo and Raf made me laugh. "So I gave them a line of BS about a family emergency of Dinah's and a car accident out of state. Hopefully it'll hold up and the girls can make up their finals once this is done. I feel bad for my students, but…" Shrugging it off, she stared up at the big screen and her tone became businesslike again. "The bikes should stick fairly close together so that if there are any surprises, you can all regroup quickly."

Davie had a surprise for me in the form of nicely patched armor. " _You didn't sleep_ ," I nagged her and she smiled wearily. So I gathered her into a suffocating hug that left her feet dangling well above the floor, remembering the first time I had done just this. She was so startled at my boldness with her, and self-conscious that me and Boo towered over her so bad. Now she only patted my head fondly and hugged me back.

" _No, but I wanted to make sure that you and Leo are as safe as possible. The new lining is lighter and thinner and more flexible. Later, I bet I can even get rid of all the plates. The armory here is like something out of a movie, and that Alfred knows his stuff_."

" _Sweet!_ "

The shirt had been replaced completely with something that looked like rubber club fetish gear and a bulky vest that was better then the one I'd been wearing for years. The pants moved more freely and were silk lined so that they didn't tug at my skin and fur. The boots were the same, for which I was grateful, as it had taken me ages to get used to the damn things in the first place. When I shrugged into the long, armored coat, I was astonished at the reduction in weight. The whole suit had dropped at least a third of its mass.

"Cowabunga!" I crowed and everyone laughed.

 

++ Helena ++

Stroked kitty happy, Shan preened in her modified armor and I chuckled along with the others. I knew exactly how she felt. In fact, Shan suddenly noticed my new suit and came over to give the once over. "This is great! Davie didn't have time to put this together, I mean shit, the stitching would put a quilter to shame." Curiously, I concentrated on the feel of her hands caressing over my sides and hip. There was a spark; I was a live wire after all, but not as much as her sister started up my motor. Good, Barbara's idea of separating the hormones was a good one.

"Nope. Alfred," I purred as I stretched luxuriously to give Shan the full effect of the suit.

"Really? Shit, remind me to hit him up once this is over."

"He might like that. We ready?"

"Yeppers. You know how to handle a bike that size?"

It was tempting to drive the big motorcycle on bravado and very limited skills and Huntress reflexes. Glancing at the members of my family and pride, I swallowed the egotistical reactions and shrugged nonchalantly. Shan gave me a subtle, understanding smile and pretended that the silent conversation had never happened. A sweat pants and tank top clad Dinah barreled in and went for the alcove where her suit had been placed in the glass-walled unit that had once held Robin's costume. I wasn't ready to make a decision about the one that once held my father's suit; I could practically see the shadowy impressions of the cowl and cape in the cabinet. The ghost of Batman in this place was more than a little unnerving and I was suddenly very thankful that Shan was driving. Brother Dick looked good in his dark Nightwing costume, and Davie looked almost scruffy next to him. As did Ro when Dinah flounced out and came over to be inspected by her new partner. At first Ro seemed slightly confused by the girl's puppy-looking-for-approval routine, but it had become habit between Dinah and I. The Batgirl suit had taken so many trail runs before it fit, that the before-sweeps inspection had become habit. Ro ran her hands over the armored curves, tugging at it here and there. It was strange to watch her touch somebody else, the movements sensual, yet not sexual. Dinah craned her neck to keep her gaze on Ro, where the larger woman crouched behind her and flipped the cape aside.

"It's too tight across your hips back here; can't you feel it constricting your movements?"

"Yeah," Dinah admitted reluctantly, embarrassed by Ro's hands on her ass. "It's digging into my crotch too, but there hasn't been time to alter it anymore."

It was then that I realized that my sidekick had put on a growth spurt and the growing space left in the recycled Batgirl costume had been filled up and then some. Ro gave Dinah a friendly smack on the ass that earned a squeak and set Shan and I to laughing. Then we were all business, turning our attention to the old bikes that had once patrolled Gotham nearly a decade ago.

"What the hell?" Barbara suddenly muttered loud enough that we all paused and turned. "How did this get in here?" The tone was intrigued and fearful, never a good combo when in reference to the Delphi. We moved over as one entity to follow Barbara's gaze up to the big plasma screen. There was an email on it.

"So?" I asked with a shrug and Barbara made a sound that was almost a growl. It was a turn on despite the obvious-to-some seriousness of the situation.

"There are only a handful of people that even know about this account, much less actually use it. Not to mention that I rarely check the account and it's not supposed to automatically be checked by the Delphi. This message is a near-hack."

While not the entirety of her explanation made sense to me, I had caught one important thing. "Waitaminute… someone hacked the Delphi?"

Again Barbara growled and I saw Binky start to flick agitatedly. Yeah, I knew how Ro felt. That noise comin' out of Babs was… was…

Needed to stop that train of thought before it got any further out of the station.

"Not hacked… exactly," Barbara muttered irritably and her fingers flew over the keyboard. "It's just… this information is supposed to be very, very confidential. How did this 'Fai' get it?"

It was some kind of invoice and a newspaper clipping of a trashy section of waterfront. I didn't get it. Then Ro suddenly spoke up in a musing tone.

"Y'know, if those chemicals were mixed up, that would be one amazing party drug."

"Party drug?" Dinah beat me to the question.

"Yeah, some kind of hallucinogen if my memory of those substances serve correctly. It's a medical supply company that made this stuff too, means that the concentrations will be really high. Few barrelfuls of this stuff and the whole city…"

Her voice trailed off as her eyes widened. I grimly picked up the train of thought. "They whole damn city will be high as a rave full of junkies. Great, it'll be Christmas all over again."

Harley was going to try to finish what she started in the dead of winter last year. Since we stopped her the first time, this was her second salvo. Man, when I got my hands on her, I was gonna put her and the Joker both in a very deep hole where they could never get out.

 

++ Harley ++

Oh happiness! Oh beatific joy! How the masses would dance and writhe to my tune! It would be my own personal Dante's Inferno, because I loved that old classic. While they suffered, my Puddin' would once again be free. All I needed was a special collection of girlie cats and a black bird. There hadn't seemed any benefit to hypnoing the cold Doctor B, like I had done to most of my hardworking staff of thugs, miscreants and street trash. All she wanted was equipment, a place to work and her precious twins on a platter. In return, she'd been loyal, helpful and ruthless to the underlings. Her style reminded me of my sweetie and a warm feeling spread though me. One of two things would happen in this warehouse. Either the Birdlings would get rumor of this place and show up to be captured, or the city would go down in chaos and then the Birdlings would show up to be captured. When they did, I had some sinfully naughty presents waiting for them. The bulky collars that would repress their metahuman powers was a lousy fashion accessory, but it certainly did the job. That's why the butch redhead stuck close to me. Once my pet Arcanine had demonstrated her power to me, I knew that she was going to be my special lap cat. Her daughter would come in handy too, since she was able to blend in perfectly with any background, no matter how wild. The scarred, mousy thing with them was of no interest to me, but Arcanine insisted that she was a metahuman and Doctor B had taken her away to her lab. That was fine with me, for I had lovely Raichu, so full of electricity that it arced off of her unless she was near Arcanine. Her slightly less frightening electric companion had been dressed like a socialite and had electricity in her hands, so I called her Pikachu. And the tall blonde that made my butch Arcanine look girlie could throw fireballs from her hands, so I kept her watching over the minions. She was now Charmander to stick with the Pocket Monsters theme.

Heavy footfalls announced the arrival of Tiny, one of Doctor B's pets. He was a hulking brute of a man with the demeanor of a loyal child. "Miss Harley?" He asked quietly and I looked up. Only from up close could his Rotweiler heritage be seen, in the stubby whiskers, heavy jaw and the slightly lighter patches over his inky eyes. "Doctor B asked me to bring this to you." In his massive, cupped hands was a small vial he was holding oh-so-very-carefully.

"Why Tiny!" I squealed in delight and he flinched away. "You've brought me a present!"

Holding the vial up to the bright light, I basked in the filtered gold tones of the liquid within. Soon New Gotham would be mine.

 

++Dinah++

Clinging to Ro's strong body while we roared down the stone tunnel was exhilarating and terrifying. Especially when the big door at the end opened with barely enough space to let us by. Barbara had given a bulkier version of the com units to the twins that barely managed not to interfere with their helmets and Ro chuckled at my harsh breathing. "Relax Canary," she purred and I could just feel the rumble through her armor. "Enjoy the night air. Oracle? Any luck on a location of that picture?"

"Not yet," Barbara's business-like tone came to my ears. "There aren't a lot of cameras on the waterfront. Especially not in that neighborhood."

"No aspiring Spielbergs?" Helena crowed and I had to smile. She had been laughing like a maniac a minute ago where she hung onto Shan on the back of the other bike. Part of me wished it was Shan that I could cling so tight to… but I knew we'd never get anything done. Already, I was distracted by memories of Shan's hands and mouth, how much Ro was like her in stature and the vibration of the big machine between my legs. It was gonna be a long night…

Sensing my agitation, Ro merely pulled over and gestured me to take on the first round of our night. It was a pair of burglars emptying out a run-down convenience store, and boy were they surprised to see me. "What the hell?"

"Naughty, naughty boys," I scolded condescendingly, hands on my hips. Instantly, they stopped in shock that rapidly turned into leering, exactly the MO that I was used to.

"Shit, Chuck, looks like the sweet thing in the Halloween getup wants to play."

"You scumbags are all the same," I sighed and didn't move my stance as Chuck's gaze grew predatory and he began to circle around to my left. They lunged at the same time, and I tossed Chuck's weight into Mouthy with ease. Now they were mad, picking themselves up from the floor and growing warier.

"Don't get cocky," Barbara warned and I snorted. Mouthy was fairly quick on his feet and Chuck was a typical brawn-not-brains. So I pulled out the batons from their sheaths in the small of my back. Not to scary-looking at merely eight and half inches… until I cracked the butt across Chuck's head and the telescoping length shot out to give me something to reach out and touch someone with. That made Mouthy howl in pain and the adrenaline tsunamied through my bloodstream. Chuck yanked at the cape and I grunted and let the tug spin me around and ducked down. I was done toying with these thugs and punched Chuckles right in that spot that rendered most people unconscious. Half-crouched, I saw the glint of metal, held in just that way…

Reflex kicked in.

Months and months of being trounced by Helena's superior physical abilities and a lifetime of experience from Barbara once again saved my life. The batarang was out and whistling across the room before I was consciously moving. Mouthy screamed in agony as the gun went flying to the sound of crunching bone.

Ro casually sauntered in, as I was zip-tying Mouthy to a post by his unbroken hand. Chuckles was already hogtied nearby. "You ready to move on?"

"Nice job, Canary," Oracle butted in over the com. "I think I've narrowed down where the photo was taken from. Head north to the 900 block of Marigold Street."

"Got it," Ro said quietly and the featureless helmet swung to the tied men and back to me. "You ready?"

There was a wealth of meaning in her tone and I tried to settle my nerves. It was still too easy to let aggression take over and Ro had obviously noticed my conflict. "Yeah." My semi-affirmative grunt didn't move Ro, and the helmet remained facing me, unmoving. One of the problems with the costume was the fact that it restricted nervous body language. I couldn't fiddle with my hair and there were no pockets.

"Canary?"

Dammit, now Barbara sounded concerned and I swallowed down my adrenaline and blew out a deep breath. Suddenly, Ro nodded and gave me a gentle, kitty head-butt before striding silently out. "We're headed out," I told our esteemed leader and followed my partner back to the bike.

When we pulled up to the decrepit warehouse, the other bike was parked right out in front and Shan was leaning negligently against it. That was a weird sign. Especially when the engine died, the sound of a Huntress-style hissy fit crashed out of the big building. "We probably just missed them," Shan informed us calmly, arms crossed over her chest and Slinky twitching in half calm and half agitation. "Huntress is a little pissed off."

"Can't say I blame her," Barbara added quietly. "I wonder if both teams shouldn't be in contact directly, instead of just through me."

"I don't think I want to hear what she's saying right about now," Ro mused and went over to bump shoulders with her sister.

"It's pretty damn pissed off. Ouch. Hel, baby-doll, careful," Shan said with a wince in her tone, her voice muffled by the helmet. On cue, the big double door was kicked open from inside and a familiar, slender figure strode out of the darkness within. Fists clenched and body stiff, Helena was every inch the thwarted predator. Ro reached up to yank her helmet off and hand it to Shan before going to Helena. Purring and making small animal sounds, Ro placed her hands of Hel's hips and rubbed her white head under Hel's chin. Growling, Helena started to relax and pet Ro's silky hair until she was calm again. They grumbled and nuzzled one another's faces, cumulating in a couple of soft kisses.

"We're going to stop her," Ro whispered softly, her voice barely picked up by the com unit around her neck.

"Helena?" Barbara sounded stressed and worried and I marveled again at the bond they had developed. Watching the physical bonding and hearing Barbara's tone was a lesson in sensuality, love and tenderness. Helena wrapped her arms around Ro's neck to rub her face hard into the white mane for a moment before getting back to business.

"We must have just missed them, probably by only a few hours. There were a couple of lame traps in there, but they were more to taunt than hurt. There was a note hanging from a noose in the middle of the warehouse. All it said was 'strike one.'"

"Charming," I grumbled and Barbara made some sound of agreement. "Do we have any guesses where they went?"

"No," Helena growled. "There were tire tracks of something really big and heavy, but not a semi-truck. I'm guessing some kind of military-type transport. That's what the pictures I uploaded were, Oracle."

I was flustered yet again between the easiness between Ro and Helena, which of course, drew my eyes to where Shan leaned up against the bike, deliberately ignoring everybody in favor of studying the warehouse. She was so gorgeous…

Before I could give into the urge to go nuzzle her, Shan suddenly stiffened and her head whipped around to her right. Growing up around animals, who were attuned to different things than humans, I had learned to pay attention their body language. Like my adopted dad's hunting dogs, Shan had heard something. Even as she leapt to her feet, Ro was reacting, with Helena only a beat behind.

"Engines," I heard Shan growl and her body was frozen in indecision.

The decision was made for her.

 

++ Ro ++

With a roar of diesel power that had my poor ears wishing they could lay completely flat, the entire corrugated metal wall nearby crumpled, struck from inside. Headlights flooded into the night and we scattered like rats. It roared like a pissed off elephant and surged out of the ruined warehouse. Shan vanished as the enormous vehicle rammed into the bike she'd been leaning against and Dinah melted into the shadows on the far side of the chaos. Helena had gone straight up a wall and I was straining for a nearby alleyway. There was a shriek of another engine or three, much closer but no less deadly to my vulnerable body. Headlights flashed over me and I knew I was being chased. Now was the time to trim down the herd and I shifted direction. My instincts and adrenaline fought the move, as it took me away from escape, but I had a precious few seconds to eliminate at least one of the vehicles.

Straining, nearly leaping along on all fours, I barreled at the wall with everything I had, boots thumping against the pavement. With the front grill of the vehicle nearly touching my tail, I leapt at the wall, crouching against the vertical surface for an instant as the killer truck impacted right underneath me.

And teleported clean away.

There was a fire escape on a building on the other side of the parking lot where I appeared, now horizontal again and barely paused before leaping back to the ground. The biggest truck, some paramilitary beast with tank treads instead of tires on the back half, was already well on its way to escape. One of the smaller three trucks had smashed into my new bike, and it was still throwing sparks as it slid to a halt. The impact had slowed the truck down and once again gave me the pleasure of watching the Huntress in action.

Like an inky ghost, she landed on the hood and smoothly shifted the landing to swing around and smash both feet through the windshield. The truck lurched to a near-halt as she booted the driver unconscious, yanking a second thug through the broken glass with a single leg. As fascinating as she was… where was my partner?

The last of the trucks was screeching into a tight turn, looking for a victim. Its lights flashed over exactly the person I was looking for, standing solemnly, the cape billowing out behind her. What the hell was she doing? "Canary!"

Ignoring my fearful cry, Dinah blurred into action as the truck drew dangerously close. Something flashed silver from her flung hand even as she tossed the other hand straight up. Cape whipping in the hurricane of the passing pickup truck, Dinah was whisked straight up beneath my astonished gaze. Smoke and steam billowed out from the truck and I realized that she had flung something that had pierced the entire engine block.

"We stopped the smaller vehicles," Dinah announced calmly over the com and Barbara was answering right on the heels of her words.

"Go after that big one, it's headed for downtown."

"The bikes…" I started to say and she cut me off.

"Try them, they were meant to take this kind of abuse."

"Right." Dinah rappelled back down to the ground and only then did my sensitive eyes note the cable trailing from her belt.

"That was amazing."

"I was trained by the best," she said simply and ran for the bikes. Shan was back and I paused for a second to ensure that she was okay. A swift, silent, sniffing communication assured me that she was freaked, but unharmed. Helena finished taking her aggressions out on the thug she'd pulled from the truck and we all dragged the bikes upright.

" _That thing is nearly to downtown and I have no idea how much damage a vehicle that big can do_." Davie hurried me along as there was a burst of sound and a bat-shaped shadow flashed overhead.

" _We're on our way._ "

The bike roared to life the second it was upright and I heard Shan's do the same. "Nightwing has it in sights and may have a crippling shot in a few minutes. Did they start?"

"Yep," I growled and threw my body over the bike, gunning it even as Dinah followed suit. Tires screaming, we were on the chase.

"Take the next left and the alleyway just beyond it on the right."

"Got it."

Dinah made some animal sound as the bike leaned perilously low to the pavement as I took the corner at a near-dangerous speed. There was a flash of headlights nearby as Shan repeated the move right behind me. My heart was pounding and my body was sweaty and nervous in the confines of my armor. Dinah's grip on my waist was punishing and I could hear her panting into the com unit. Headlights flashed again as I wrenched the bike into the alleyway and trusted Oracle that it was safe. It took a couple quick dodges around trashcans and a broken chain link fence, but we exploded out the other end even as Oracle's voice spoke again. "Left at the end and… Nightwing!"

Muscling the bike back onto the main strip, I watched two things happen simultaneously. With a hissing shriek of power, a plume of smoke burst from the Batwing's belly to slam into the truck with a deafening explosion. Unfortunately, the backwash threw the little fighter plane ass over teakettle and it vanished into the darkness above.

"Davie!" I screamed in horror, hearing nothing from her telepathically.

"They're ejecting!" Oracle yelled. "Stop the truck!"

Angry and a little crazed from my family being in danger, I put the bike nearly right into the slowing hulk of the truck. "Get off," I growled at Dinah, slowing only long enough to let her do so before gunning the machine at the first body I saw stumble from the smoking wreckage. I knocked her down with the bike and dropped the machine in favor of pounding the next thug with my hands and tail.

"Come on!" Helena bellowed and jumped right over me to actually get on the truck itself. Pouring smoke, the monster reared up over a line of parked cars at the curb and it's headlights flashed wildly over the windows of the skyscraper it was headed right for. It was still moving too fast, smashing back down flat with a splintering crash and plowing into the lobby of the building.

It was like a movie set as people started to collect at the outskirts of the chaos and I knew we were running out of time.

 

++ Shan ++

"Huntress!" I bellowed, desperately scanning the chaotic scene.

"In the lobby," she grunted back over the com and I heard the distinctive sounds of a fight. "I could use a hand here." Gunning the bike towards the burning wreckage of the truck buried in the building, I swerved between parked cars and wrenched the bike into a wheelie that smashed out one of the few remaining big windows. "Dammit! Why are you doing this? Harley's not gonna give you what you want!"

The awkward move of taking out the windows was too much for my forward momentum and I leapt free of the off-balance motorcycle. Skittering with inertia over the debris-strewn floor, I finally righted myself and looked around. Flames were licking up from the truck to the two-story ceiling of the lobby.

"Dammit Oracle, how do I stop Ivy? Those damn vines are fast! Ivy! Give it up! We outnumber you and the damn room is on fire!"

Two figures flickered in the smoke, lit only by erratic fire. I knew Helena by the way she moved, leaping away from the tentacles that I remembered from that fight in the alleyway days ago. Ivy hadn't seen me yet and I seized the opportunity to attack her from behind. Grunting from the full impact of my weight, she went down in a tangle of arms and legs. For the moment, she was still.

"Oracle!" I yelled. "The sprinkler system hasn't started yet and the flames are getting worse! Prophet and Nightwing okay?"

"Yes, she's currently cursing in a blue streak of Greek that's making my ears burn and I don't even speak the language, and he's laughing. Is Ivy down?"

"For now. And the others?"

"Still on the street."

And then something exploded.

The force of the blast threw me as though I weighed nothing. I knew the feel of terror, and this was very, very familiar. Something flat and hard caught my entire body and I started to slide to the floor. Then another body impacted with mine, knocking the wind out of me. In a breathless pile on the floor, I sent a silent thank you to Davie once again for having the foresight of the solid titanium plates of armor around my torso. The air was getting thin and I blacked out.

 

++ Dinah ++

The explosion knocked me back, rolling and tumbling until I smacked into a van and tried to clear my head. "Canary! Leo! Huntress and Mikey were in there!" Oracle was yelling frantically. "I'm sending Alfred to retrieve Prophet and Nightwing from the bay." Forcing myself to stand, I staggered back to the ruined lobby of the tall building and prayed that its superstructure was still intact. Halfway across the street, still out of breath, I saw a shadowy figure dragging something with them frame herself in one of the smashed out windows.

"Huntress!" I whimpered, never so glad to see her. Stumbling, Helena dragged the two limp bodies in her fists over the tall edge of the windows and collapsed in a messy pile, just out of reach of the billowing smoke. In a moment I was crouched by her. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live," she coughed and hooked her hand over the hand I wrapped around the back of her neck. "There's fire in the elevator shafts, and the sprinklers still haven't kicked in. The FD's should be here any second, but…"

I knew what she wanted to say, but was doubled over with coughing. What if there were people trapped above the flames? In a flash, I was in the lobby and looking for the fire exits. Sure enough, there were sleepy and scared people pouring into the lobby, looking for a way out. No going up that way then, now what? Back out the window with barely a glance at Helena, Shan and who I assumed was Poison Ivy, I looked up the face of the skyscraper. Now to find out if I was as good with all this equipment as I thought I was. With a flick, the jumpline was arching into the smoke to hook over one of the parapets that hung out over the street nearly four stories up. The second it tugged solid; I hit the winch and shot up. The jumplines were an amazing invention, straight from the vaults of Batman himself. He'd created them years ago to take the pressure of swinging from the pencil thin lines like Tarzan. They could take incredible amounts of weight as the g's started stacking up. At floor two, I stopped the winch and put a foot through the nearest window. Thankfully, this was an older building and the safety glass gave in easily enough. "I'm in," I informed Oracle. "Now what?"

"You've only got a few minutes, but check the apartments on that floor. There are six units, and stay away from the elevators!"

"Right."

The smoke wasn't too bad up here and the lowlight goggles made short work of the first four apartments. One poor older fellow nearly jumped clean out of his skin when I shook him awake and told him to get out. It was too easy to forget what the costume looked like to others. "Get out! The lobby's on fire and the fire department isn't here yet!" Seeing that he was on his feet and moving easily, I raced for the fifth unit and found exactly what I barely knew how to handle.

Two small children, alone and terrified.

"Come on!" I yelled and scooped up the smaller kid, maybe three years old and he clung to me. The slightly older girl paused and something down the hallway exploded with a roar. "That was the elevator shaft, Oracle! I've got two small kids here and no way out."

"So do it our way then."

"Please honey," my voiced was cajoling to the little girl. "This place isn't safe." Fire belched past the open entryway of the small apartment and the air was suddenly hot and thin. I scooped up the rigid child and she clung to me as tightly as her brother. Once more there was the hellish belch of explosions and the heat at my back grew volcanic. Time seemed to slow as my brain and body kicked into that gear that was supersonic. It was like I could do anything in this place, nothing could stop me. A flying leap at the window, one arm up to protect my head and the two innocent kids clinging to me. It shattered spectacularly as the flames roared over and around us. The air gun that fired the really long, strong jumplines seemed to materialize in my raised hand and the heavy, barbed tip arched into the fire-lit darkness to punch into the neighboring building. Over the alleyway we flew like birds, the jumpline controlling the trajectory and slowing the decent. The kids were screaming, but I didn't let that affect the way I positioned my body to accept the impact of the arch terminating abruptly against the face of the neighboring building. It smashed up my legs like I'd been hit by a car and we tumbled towards the sidewalk.

Winded, pained and exhausted, I could only lie there and listen to the ringing in my ears.

 

++ Ro ++

I'd run to my twin, terrified by her limp body, fussing over her and my battered lover. After only a minute, Shan had roused with a moan and I shooed the two of them off to make a getaway. I was running for the far end of the building when I caught the tail end of Dinah's dramatic escape and changed directions to get the bike. Yanking it out from where it was half under a white van with words on it, I muscled it upright and gunned it at Dinah's landing spot.

"Canary's out," Oracle was worrying in my ear. "But she's not responding."

"I'm on it." The crowd gathering from the surrounding buildings scattered as I came between cars and narrowly missed some of them. "Move it!" I bellowed and managed to make it to my fallen partner. She was blearily stirring beneath two kids and the line was retracting back into her costume. "Come on!" I half dragged her onto the bike, not caring that people saw the tail, only desperate to get away before the approaching authorities could grab us.

"Down that alley!" Obeying Oracle's order, I screeched the back tire against the sidewalk so that people got the hint and got the hell out of my way. "Huntress and Mikey are on their way and Alfred's nearly to Davie and Dick in the bay. How are you two holding up?"

Adrenaline and fear were still pumping in my blood and Dinah only moaned softly and clung to me with the last of her strength. I knew I was going to need the adrenaline to get us safely home and concentrated on the feeling, hunching over the bike as though I were a part of it. Three near collisions and a brief, intense chase with a pair of black and whites kept me amped up. It wasn't easy to ditch the helicopter, but Oracle confused its sensors until the pilot was forced to put it down in a park.

It was still early enough in the morning that the bridge was nearly empty and I opened the big engine up until our speed was starting to scare me. Dinah remained pressed tightly to my body, Binky tight around her waist, cape snapping in the wind. I slowed only enough to get off the highway and to the hidden road to the Batcave. The ocean flickered with the moon's filtered light as we tore up the road and ducked under the metal door. Fatigue was making my arms shake and my vision blur. Dinah was trembling uncontrollably and I could only hold her in a tail-hug. Screeching to a halt near the Delphi, I yanked my body and Dinah's the opposite direction as the bike crashed onto its side and wrapped Helena and Shan into a group hug.

Silently, we four clung together and just sorta felt our breathing.

"Barbara," Helena breathed out hoarsely and I blindly reached out in her direction. There was a long moment before the wheelchair whirred over. Without missing a beat, Shan and I moved with that shared-brain thing that only identical twins seemed capable of, yanking off our helmets and scooping Barbara's body up into the huddle.

"That was wild," Shan finally breathed into Barbara's hair while I nosed at the redhead's other ear. Helena and Dinah remained pressed to our chests and I reached up to pull Dinah's cowl loose so I could transfer my nuzzling to her blonde mane.

"I was so scared," Barbara admitted softly and I think we all nodded. "It got out of control so fast." The Delphi let out an alert sound and we all looked over despite our exhaustion. Barbara was settled back into the wheelchair and we all migrated wearily to the big machine. With the touch of a button, the Delphi showed us what it had flagged and started showing something that had a News13 in the corner. A violently shaking video recording was all that could be seen as a woman's voice began to speak from an obviously different source.

"…And now, from the street outside of channel 13's corporate offices in downtown New Gotham, we have Casey O'Connor. Casey? Can you hear me?"

The shaking picture stabilized… sort of, and my heart clutched in time to a chorus of gasps. "Yes Samantha, a large vehicle appears to have been struck by some kind of explosive and has rammed into the Graywood Apartment tower directly across the street from the Channel 13 building. Holy sh…" The camera caught a motorcycle rider thump into a staggering thug hard enough to send them tumbling before gunning the motor enough to take a flying leap from the machine. Then it wobbled drunkenly and swerved around towards the camera, before dropping on to its side in a shower of sparks and plowing into the news van. I had just witnessed myself join in the fight over the paramilitary vehicle full of God-knows-what in downtown New Gotham.

As we stared in horror, the woman reporter, Casey, recorded the entire incident with Harley Quinn's forces. The explosions in the lobby, Helena staggering from the smoke with two limp bodies in hand, Dinah's impressive escape from the second floor.

It was terrifying and perversely thrilling to see exactly what the hell had happened. And through it all, Casey O'Connor remained fixed on the mysterious figures in black. At first, she wasn't certain what our role was, but Dinah's incredible rescue of those kids had her cheering along with the people in her van. More than once, I saw the distinct banner of waving prehensile tails.

At last the public record of our fight wound down with my retrieving Dinah and roaring off down that alleyway. That left the camera to go dark for a moment and then restart to show a tired, but excited woman in her late thirties, an Irish-decent handsome brunette that was almost red. Now the icon in the corner read 'live'. "Good morning New Gotham. What you have just witnessed was a catastrophe the likes of which we haven't seen in this city in a decade. An out-of-control paramilitary vehicle partially engulfed in flames collided with a downtown apartment building just minutes ago. Four mysterious figures in black appeared to be involved and…" There was a burst of activity nearby and Casey was nearly knocked over by a crowd of policemen. One older fellow, grizzled with a lifetime patrolling the streets had found the crumpled figure of our opponent. There was no mistaking his shouted words, "Good God Almighty! It's Poison Ivy! Call Arkham!"

The volume dropped off with a few keystrokes and Barbara reached up to rub the bridge of her nose. "Good thing there's still a few of the old guard left. It's been almost nine years since Batman and the Joker left the streets and we turned back into a fairly normal city. People have forgotten what Gotham used to be like." Unsure if she was talking to us or just musing out loud, no one moved. "This is going to get complicated, and Harley and Doctor B now know we're getting closer. All of you get some sleep. Things will heat up fast and we all need to be at our best."

There seemed little to say to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always loved this song; it's evocative and can carry a multitude of messages. Aside from the obvious sexual/romantic overtones of the lyrics, it indicates strength and learning to me. As the chapter above shows, the Birds and their new pals are going through a period of learning where they will go through huge learning changes. And they've barely begun.
> 
> Brave and Crazy  
> By Melissa Etheridge
> 
> If I could have my way  
> I'd be sleeping in the alley  
> On a couch with a friend and a bottle of gin  
> If I could have my way  
> I'd be runnin' with the circus  
> I would be taming all the lions  
> There'd be no denying I was… brave and crazy  
> If I could have my way  
> I wouldn't be dreaming, scheming, screaming  
> Oooh, what am I gonna do  
> About you?  
> I wishes were horses  
> This beggar would ride  
> I'd have my cake and eat it  
> With a little on the side  
> I'd never want for money  
> I'd never want for friends  
> I wouldn't have to make excuses for the shape that I'm in  
> Shaking and crazy  
> Before I saw your eyes  
> I was in control of my soul on the whole  
> Oooh, what am I gonna do  
> About you?
> 
> Cool as a rule  
> I wouldn't play nobody's fool  
> But I keep on talking  
> Made in the shade  
> I had a perfect cue to fade  
> But I keep on walking
> 
> If I could have my way  
> I'd check out right now  
> I'd say out to lunch honey thanks a bunch  
> It wouldn't work out anyhow  
> But this desire's too much  
> It's rented out my brain  
> It's showing previews of your body  
> Driving me insane  
> And that's crazy  
> So all that I can do  
> Is to beg, plead, won't you tell me please  
> What am I gonna do  
> About you?


	11. The Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dynamics start to settle into place and relationships solidify.

++ Helena ++

There was no way in hell I was going to just walk away from Barbara with all that happened. She would take this snafu personally, and drive herself to fix it until she was half-dead. None of us had been directly compromised, except for the tails, and there wasn't a damn thing that could be done about the reporter now. It was a damn good thing I'd chosen tonight of all nights to finally wear a mask. There had been at least two halfway decent shots of each of our faces.

"Go get some sleep," Barbara instructed again, her voice flat and unapproachable. Still, no one moved and my hackles were prickling up. Oh, I knew that tone too well, and hated it.

"As soon as you do," said my voice with absolute calm and boy was I surprised! Barbara's hands stilled and her head swung around so those dagger eyes could stab into me. This is why I hated it when she was like this. Obsessive, sharp, as unmovable as a thirty-ton boulder, that iron control glowered at me from under green ice. This was the part where she took this entire burden on herself and left me helpless to do anything but wait for her beck and call. "Not this time, Barbara," I spoke calmly, softly, suddenly absolutely certain that I was correct in what I was doing. "I'm not letting you work yourself until you're half-dead and then picking up the pieces. I love you too much for that. There are eight people and Nightwing on this team now." Something that might be barely-suppressed fear and rage boiled up in her eyes, tightened the muscles in her face. I had never faced her down on this before, too afraid of her pain and power and her past. In one, swift movement, I was literally in her face, noses so close together that I was nearly cross-eyed. "Not this time! I've sat back for nine years and never said a thing when you get like this! I will not let you drive yourself into the ground over some kind of absolution!" realizing that I was shouting, I reined in my feelings and was gentle now. "It's not just you and me anymore."

There was an insane moment that I really believed that she was going to knock me flat on my ass and tell me off. There was this hidden dark side to Barbara that made me cringe, because I saw it so rarely. It took a unique breed to don a mask and a suit of skin-tight armor to run across the rooftops and protect a city that feared you at worst, or was oblivious at best. It was a thankless, brutal task that was hard on the body and far harder on the soul. A lifetime of soul-scars glowered out of Barbara's darkness and I forced myself to stare them down. I would be damned if I would let our pasts ruin our future.

Then something in Barbara's eyes changed, some startled realization that loosened the grip of icy fear in my chest. Blinking, her beautiful eyes thawed and seemed to look at me for the first time. It was a sobering moment that made me at long last feel like her equal. Some lessons took a lifetime; some were like a lightning bolt. There would need to be long, painful talks about who we were and who we were becoming, but the first crucial steps had been made. Barbara reached up to cup my cheek and drew in a shaky breath. It was a long moment before she could clear her throat and speak around the glitter of tears in her eyes. "Okay."

"Good," I happily purred and gave her a quick kiss before taking her hand and straightening. If I was to be pride leader, than I needed to step up. My team looked back at me, including the now-arrived Alfred and a very wet and bedraggled Dick and Davie. "Okay, first of all, nobody screwed up tonight. Yeah, we were filmed, but we had no clue that Casey O'Connor was there and even if we did, there was nothing we could have done differently. Ro, if you give Barbara and Gabby a hand with Delphi, I'll rope the rest of you into gear duty. We can get all this done in a few hours at worst and then get ready for tonight."

And we were off and running. Stripping out of our various suits of armor, Alfred and Davie took them off to be examined and repaired as needed. The rest of us were on bike duty. The poor motorcycles looked like they had been put through meat grinders, but it became quickly apparent that the damage was mostly superficial. "Thank the Saints for armor," Shan chuckled as she unbolted one of the mangled panels and yanked it loose. We'd already replaced the armor on Batgirl's old bike and replaced the few damaged pieces that needed it. Fixing the well-loved old machine had felt like a rebirth of sorts. Staring Barbara down had done exactly what I'd hoped for, keeping her in the mindset that she had a big team now and needed to delegate accordingly. Gabby and Ro orbited around her, doing all that complicated computer shit that confused the hell out of me. I was so damn glad for the two of them making my woman's job easier, that I kept having to fight off tears. God, I was an emotional wreck this morning. By the look on Dinah's face, it wasn't just me.

"Hey," I finally said softly when we were relatively alone for a moment and Dinah blinked into focus on my face. "You were amazing." I wanted to kick myself at how surprised she looked. Since the day she'd arrived, I'd been too hard on the kid. "You were. That save with the kids is the kind of thing that should be in the superhero textbooks."

Flushed lightly, but grinning, Dinah did that nervous, tuck-the-hair-behind-the-ear that was classic of her and finally seemed to accept that she had truly lived up to her calling as superhero. We'd been working like dogs for a couple hours and we were all starting to feel our various strains and bruises. As though reading my mind, Shan stretched and winced nearby. "After being your wall pillow Huntress, and subsequently being knocked unconscious briefly, I think I need to sleep it off. I'll be back down in about four hours to relieve whoever's still up. C'mon Di."

I was grateful to the woman. Dinah's limping was making me hurt just to watch, but I hadn't wanted to pressure her and start up the old trend again. The last thing Dinah needed was to be treated the way I had done early on. She wasn't the useless junior supergirl I had once thought her to be, but an accomplished fighter in her own right. At the moment I was feeling like anything but a superhero and reluctant leader. Right now, I was feeling like the morning after, tired, wasted and hung-over. Poison Ivy had beat the hell out of me, and smoke inhalation still made my lungs and throat ache. Shan scooped Dinah up into her arms as they stepped into the elevator and I wanted to do that to my sexy redhead.

A touch on my arm startled me awake and I blinked back to the present. Concerned green eyes greeted me and I smiled. "Hi."

"Hi yourself cutie. Rather than doze here in the corner, how about some real sleep? Ro and Davie are taking first watch."

"Sure," I yawned and blearily climbed to my feet to follow her to the elevator. The whole night was a blur of imagines and impressions. Barbara leaned into my side on the ride up and was snuggled into the covers when I returned from a brief, but necessary shower. "I'm sorry," she whispered as I climbed in beside her naked body and tugged her close. "I never meant to push either of us so hard."

Oh right, my confrontation earlier, now I remembered. Kissing her head and squeezing her close, I nuzzled her lovingly. "I know. It's weird having so many bodies around, but we need to get used to it. I'm sorry if I was too pushy."

"You were, but I needed it. Sleep now, we'll have time later to talk."

"Hmm…"

 

++ Dinah ++

It was a great dream… but was it supposed to hurt? Her hands were everything I wanted them to be, strong, bold and persistent. Pressing deep into my aching muscles and stroking over my skin hard enough to push my breath out, those hands were amazing. They massaged into my hair, kneaded my neck, molded my back like clay, and embarrassed the hell out of me by flexing firmly into my aching ass muscles and down my legs. Still half convinced I was dreaming the whole thing, I growled at my tormentress and she just chuckled and grabbed my shins to flip me over.

Startled and half-asleep, I tried to blow the errant strands of hair out of my eyes and focus. Especially since Shan was working her way back up my legs and I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about the rubdown. My ankles sure felt better now… but my hormones were waking up quick. I was so weird about this kind of touching; it had taken Helena and Barbara months to get me used to it. But the battering and bruising was part of the job and I'd grown resigned to it. Not that it didn't feel really good, even the pain, but that was the problem. With my poor hormones peaking and my companions anything but hard on the eyes, the rubdowns had been torture.

That thought stopped me in my tracks and I was suddenly wide-awake. Shan froze, both hands wrapped around my right knee as I raked my hair back with a trembling hand. God, how could I have been so dense? I'd been salivating over my teammates for months and had never acknowledged it until this gorgeous new woman had finally set me off. I could imagine how humiliated I would have been if I'd realized my crushes on Helena and Barbara. It made me groan just thinking about it.

The bed shifted as Shan moved to lie beside me and tug away the hands I'd used to cover my flaming face. "Sorry," she whispered softly. "Your legs were twitching like they were cramping and I wanted to take away your pain." Instantly, I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed until she squeaked for mercy.

"Thank you. I wasn't groaning at you, but some stuff I just realized."

"Oh?" Her tone was questioning, but it was also pleased. "Something I can help you with?"

My hug gentled and I stroked her back and head. "You already have." I was ready to doze off again when a twinge ran up my thigh, reminding me of the impact with that wall.

"I felt that," Shan commented softly and I groaned.

"Yeah, I think I pulled something."

"Lie still," was purred softly into the side of my neck and I shivered in awareness as she kissed me there, where my jugular beat close to my skin. Wriggling teasingly down my body, damn her, Shan sat up and wrapped both hands around my right knee. This was going to be exquisite… and utterly suck. Her gentle, but firm touch pressed deep into my leg, creeping higher and higher, until I was ready to hyperventilate. I couldn't watch, it was hard enough to try and ride out the sensuous feel of her hands on me, without adding in the look on her face

I'd felt the throb of arousal, the tickle of interest towards boys at school, been curious as hell what to do with the sensations in my body as I grew older. I'd ignored the feel of Helena's hands deep in my thigh muscles, or Barbara's low on my back or ass if I'd managed to pull something. Well, I'd tried anyway. But I knew I was wet and swollen with lust at Shan's dexterous hands close enough to my crotch that I swear I could feel her knuckles brushing…

"Ouch!" Pain radiated out from my groin and I jerked away. Shan snatched her hands back and flushed pink.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll be more gentle, I swear."

Almost hesitantly, Shan returned her fingers to that very sensitive tendon in that very sensitive spot and I tried to relax. This was hell and heaven all rolled up into one as her fingers soothed and aroused, causing relief and pain all in the same movements. In time, I was wired for sound, and limp with relaxation as Shan coaxed all the tension out of my sorer leg. Then she transferred her hands to my left leg and repeated the whole process.

She was killin' me… but what a way to go.

 

++ Casey O'Connor ++

God, but I was tired.

Tired, but exhilarated.

A decade of persistence and dedication was finally, finally ripening up nicely. As a rookie, I'd been fascinated by the Batman, keeping track of scraps of information scattered over a lifetime of his protecting Gotham. After the earthquake, twenty-two years ago, his appearances had become more and more sporadic, until seven years ago, when he'd vanished completely. That was when the woman had first appeared. If the info on Batman was scarce, then Huntress was like the proverbial Holy Grail. Only mentioned three times on paper by thugs and scum found trussed up like thanksgiving turkeys, and grumbled about by two others, she was a classic enigma. Inhumanly fast, able to scale buildings like a gecko on glass and stronger than a tank, she was described as dark-haired, young and gorgeous. There were no pictures of her in action, any footage taken by external sources like ATM cameras all mysteriously crashed. Quite the guardian angel she had.

Inside my apartment, Tom meowed plaintively at me and I dropped my gear and scooped him up for some love. "Hey handsome. Mom finally scored, how about a celebration, huh?"

Ten minutes later, Tom and I were comfortably sprawled in the overstuffed couch with microwaved leftovers and hot coffee for me. Plugging my laptop into the home theater suite, I pulled up my favorite stills from my prized piece of film. The tailed figure scrambling away from the van after crashing into it, the woman rappelling from the burning apartment building, the close-up of the dark figure exiting the smoke-filled lobby with ally and enemy alike dangling from her fists. Who were they? And why did they do what they did? For that matter… how did they do it?

With a few keystrokes, I brought up my best pictures of Batman, Robin and Batgirl from the archives. Nothing in the collection was a great shot, as the Bat-crew wasn't the stand and pose kind of folks. There were a half-dozen photo manipulations that showed tantalizing hints as to the masked vigilante's identities.

The cell phone rang and I jumped.

A glance at the clock confirmed that it was after midnight. There were few people that had the number and I wasn't up to dealing with the potential drama that could be on the other end. Once, twice, three times it rang before I pressed the 'talk' button and raised it to my ear.

"Open the door," was all the strange male voice said and I caught my breath. I involuntarily twisted around on the couch to stare at the front door, suddenly shadowy and menacing in the darkness. There were a few unsavory characters that had this number because they were street contacts. The fact that I didn't know the voice was unnerving. Suddenly the man chuckled almost warmly. "C'mon Casey, if I was here for something bad, I wouldn't be calling politely. You've stumbled into something and you're going to need our help."

Our? There was more than one of them?

"Why should I trust you?"

"Ah, she speaks. Why should you trust me? I know them, your mysterious vigilantes. My companion knows the old guard."

It was that damn curiosity again, creeping up and down my spine, like fear or arousal. I was a good judge of character, even with just a voice, and this guy didn't set off my hink meter at all. "Okay, since you asked so nicely."

At my door was a good-looking man with swarthy skin and a level gaze. Behind him was another man, hunched into a coat and hat. Grinning winningly, the dark man offered a hand. He looked very familiar and I cursed the exhaustion that was inhibiting my usual impeccable memory. "Detective Jesse Reese. I'm here to be a diplomat for the Huntress and her teammates. I believe you know my companion."

Know him? My jaw almost fell off my head in shock. Beneath the brim of the black fedora was none other than retired police commissioner Jim Gordon. "We need to talk," the familiar voice was a cross between gentle and uncompromising.

"Come inside both of you."

Strange things had been the norm of my existence for the better part of my life, but this was a first. Thankfully, my Navy-brat upbringing kept my place in decent working order so that I wasn't embarrassed for my company. Gordon stripped off his hat and coat before facing me squarely. He was still an imposing figure, despite his advancing age. "I'm glad it was you that finally caught them on tape," he spoke clearly and candidly. "With your reputation, I can speak bluntly." There was a curious trill of Tom asking to be introduced and we both looked down. Without missing a beat, Gordon stooped to gather my cat into burly arms and pet the ginger head gently. "Hello pretty cat, what do I call you?"

"That's Tom."

I received the usual wry look for the unoriginal name and I was struck by the warmth of the seemingly cold man. "I'm a father Miss O'Connor, don't forget that. I may be a cop and a politician and a thousand other things, but first and foremost, I'm a man and a father."

It was an odd statement and my response was slow. "Casey, please. Is there something I can do for you?"

"The story on your computer screen there." Sure enough, there were the pictures of Gotham's vigilante protectors. "I knew Batman and Robin and Batgirl. I need your help, and the help of others like you, to help protect the heroes of New Gotham." There was no mistaking the hitch in the man's strong voice, the tiny falter in his speech.

Batgirl.

That wild grin, the flaming red hair, the gymnast's build…

Oh… wow…

 

++ Helena ++

Sweeps had been started up with no fanfare, our moods sober and no nonsense.

Only to find that New Gotham was having the slowest, most boring night ever. It was as though everyone in the city had decided to stay in for the night, and Harley was squirreled away in some dark corner where we couldn't find her. The long hours we'd scoured the streets had left me kinda queasy with unburned adrenaline.

By three AM, we'd pretty much given up and were just waiting for the sun to come up. Hell, if it were any slower, I could watch mold grow on my boots. "This adrenaline-laced life sucks sometimes," I mused at the barely-seen stars overhead. Damn light pollution. Shan and I had been bantering back and forth all night, trying to get a response out of Oracle. It had actually worked a few times. Two giggles, a groan from a particularly stinky pun I couldn't even remember now, and four sighs that meant we were treading into dangerous verbal territory. It was the threat of water balloons off the side of the New Gotham Bank building that finally got us smacked down and told to behave ourselves. So, here we were, perched atop that that same bank building, staring up at the stars. What we could see of them. Which reminded me… "Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan," I said in a singsong voice, watching the corner of her mouth turn up. "You look like you're a million miles away."

"Not quite so far."

Something told me to hold my tongue and maybe, just maybe, I'd get a few more tidbits from my new pridemates. The faint expression on Shan's face was bittersweet as she stared out over the forest to the north where the manor was.

"We'd never seen the sky," Shan murmured softly and I heard the faint sounds of Barbara in my ears abruptly cease. "I still don't know how we teleported that first time. The image of the sky overhead was so real from staring at pictures and peeking into the security booth when we would flirt with the guards, who all thought we were adorable and dangerous… We wanted out so bad; it was like trying to breathe in a vacuum. I wanted to see stars. I wanted to see them more than anything. I wanted to know what made the people that came in from the outside smell so neat." Shan's voice had grown soft and childlike, her mind a decade and thousands of miles away. Slinky was twisting and coiling like a hunting cobra, the movements torn between stress and relaxation. "Then one day, me and Boo looked into each other's eyes and just knew we could get away. I dunno how we knew, but we did. It was so close…" Her hand reached out, as though grasping at that distant forest, and I swore that she really was gonna teleport. Then her fist clenched up and she grinned. "So we stole the fleas and the hard-drive, and tried to find the Bug, but couldn't and had to go, because they were coming for us… And we were gone, just like that." Pausing, she tilted her head back and smiled in absolute pleasure at the faint stars. "The first time I saw them twinkle at me, I cried. They were the most beautiful things I had ever seen, winking like they were alive. We were cold and exhausted and freaked by what we had done. Luckily, the observation equipment was on the next island over, so we got a chance to get our bearings and see the next island out in the daylight without the guards all over us. It was kinda fun, 'porting from island to island until we saw a great big coastline that stretched as far as we could see in both directions. And we knew we were safe. It wasn't easy, we had to steal and hunt and occasionally terrorize some lonely homesteader just to eat. And people were so afraid of us, and we were growing so damn fast. We were hungry all the time, hungry and cold. We'd been living in the barn for a while, because we had plenty to eat, before Miss Honey found us. Boo's right, I didn't trust her at first, because humans always spazzed when they saw us. But I learned to love her almost as much as Boo. She gave us the Rowan and Killashandra names, after characters from her favorite author."

"Anne McCaffrey," Barbara said quietly and Shan nodded.

"We'd read anything Miss Honey gave us, we were insatiable. I haven't had time to read in a long time."

The wistful sadness in her tone made my heart ache and I gave her a friendly kitty head-butt. Without seeming to think about it, Shan nosed at my hair for a moment and then took a deep, fortifying breath. "Oracle, we're bored."

"I noticed."

"We're gonna go do something, holler if you need something. Hel? Do you know where we can get me some kind of decent food this time of night? All this reminiscing has got me starving. Meet you at the bottom."

And vanished before my eyes.

 

++ Shan ++

The abrupt 'port gave me a few moments to collect my bearings after the confession to these new women in my life. I dropped the jacket over the handlebars and stripped off the armored vest. "Oracle, is there any storage on this thing?"

"Under the seat," she murmured and the deep, wide cushion suddenly popped up.

"Thanks. Pretty cool that you can control this thing from afar."

"It comes in handy."

As scruffy as my jacket had become, it was still decent enough for clubbing or wandering around like some misplaced goth punk in the night. All that was needed was the accessory that any girl with furry, pointed ears needed. A lightweight hood of faintly shimmery material that looked like something Cher would wear. The clack of heavy, heeled boots signaled the arrival of my partner. "You could have warned me," Helena complained mildly and I shrugged.

"I figured you missed the thrill of defying gravity."

She just sighed and I relented with a weary breath of my own.

"I just needed a minute to regroup, y'know? You guys are only the third and fourth people I've ever told that story to."

"'Kay," Helena relented. "So what are we doing?"

"You tell me, o native of the city, but first, give me your mask; we're off the clock for now."

"Oh, right. Here." The material peeled away from her face like a second skin and was tossed in next to my vest to be stored away until needed. "Nice hood."

"This material is some wild stuff that never wrinkles. It's cool." Yanking the jacket and helmet back on, I straddled the machine that used to belong to Robin and it roared to life. In a moment, Helena's body settled in behind me and we were away. Eventually, the tugs at my waistband directed me to a little hole in the wall place where a variety of punks, club kids and druggies had gathered like hungry rats at the curb. They scattered like cockroaches when I gunned the engine and put the bike right over the curb and nearly right up to the door of the Mexican food place.

"Shan!" Barbara gasped in shock and Helena swallowed a chuckle. I knew these kinds of scavengers and a show of strength now would pretty much insure that they would leave us alone. Not to mention the valuable bulk of the motorcycle.

"Ladies first," I offered gallantly as Helena got a grip on her giggles and dramatically swung her leg over the seat and posed for the now-restless crowd. I merely stayed put and watched her in action. Like an alleycat at the top of her food chain, she was the number one predator and they all knew it. Then I stood up and yanked off the helmet to add my impressive bulk to the unspoken threat. Humans thought themselves so above the animalistic posturing and posing. They were so very wrong. Dinner was quick, savory and plentiful: burritos and chips and salsa and nachos with all the fixings. I was impressed that Helena could pack it away as well as I could and said as much. "You got a hollow leg, Raf?"

"Bite me, Mikey. I burn through calories so damn fast in turbo mode it's a wonder I'm not constantly craving protein."

"Yeah, I know how that is."

We finished off enough food for four hungry people in record time and were left with where to go next. Lazing back on the dirty picnic table, we watched the much thinner crowd deliberately avoid the bike.

"You like my sister?"

Okay, that was blunt, even for me. Helena rolled her head over on her supporting hand only far enough to flash me a wry, warm look. "Yep. It's not just anybody that I let bite the hell out of me." The supporting hand unfurled an index finger to tap the shell of her ear where the nasty bite was already only an angry red mark.

"You love April."

"And Leo loves Miss Honey. Your point? Doesn't make me adore her any less and doesn't change that I'm insane kinds of hormonal for her. If you weren't so much like me, you'd probably trigger off the same kinks."

"Yeah, Leo's always had that broody, intense thing goin' for her."

"And you got that fun lovin', melancholy thing goin' for you." A truly wicked grin spread across her face and she teased in proper tormenting-older-sister fashion. "And don't think I haven't noticed that you get Don's motor runnin'." I tried, but couldn't stop the heat that washed over my skin from about the chest up. Helena cackled in delight and twisted her body to lean over the table. "She a good kisser? You like havin' that pretty little sunshine flower be all yours?" Embarrassed as hell, I lashed out and smacked her across the shoulder. It only earned me louder peals of laughter.

"Huntress," Barbara warned half-heartedly and I started in surprise. I kept forgetting she was there. Abruptly, my wrist was captured in a titanium grip and I jerked my eyes around to meet the Huntress-red gaze of my partner.

"Just don't hurt her," Helena warned softly, with a deadly serious undertone beneath the teasing tone of her voice. And just like that, the threat was gone and Helena was climbing to her feet to stretch luxuriously.

"Yeah, wouldn't dream of it," I breathed and rubbed my aching wrist. Damn, she had a grip on her like a trash compactor. And not those wussy kitchen model either, but the big, industrial beasts.

"Hey!" Helena suddenly exclaimed, rubbing her belly lazily like Ro did. "I haven't taken you or Leo to No Man's Land. Duh! C'mon."

"What's that?"

"I'll tell you on the trip."

 

++ Gibson Kafka ++

The elevator drew my attention over and my night became much brighter. "Huntress! My sweet angel of the night, how I've missed you." A small smile graced her perfect features and I was ready to throw myself on her mercy yet again when the tall figure behind her registered.

A stranger.

The crowd shifted, wary and ready for ugliness. Sure, Huntress was with the tall stranger, but we had become even more wary after what Harley Quinn had done to our safe place.

Then the stranger reached up and drew off the dark hood and the place collectively drew in a startled breath.

We were all metahumans here. It was an invite only kind of place for the safety of those shunned by the normal world above. There was no mistaking that this woman was anything but normal and average. Painfully attractive in a cool, ghostly way, she was dusted with white fur and a black-sheathed tail danced in the air behind her as though in response to a light breeze. Restlessly, she raked a hand through her pure white hair and warily eyed the crowd. Then Huntress sighed and grabbed her by the lapel to drag her over to me. I was too caught up in the new woman to parry with my dark goddess.

"Shan, meet Gibson Kafka, keeper of the best place in town to hang if you're meta. Gibson, meet my new partner, Killashandra Jones."

"Killashandra Ree, heroine of Anne McCaffrey books, Crystal Singer, Killashandra and Crystal Line," I rattled off from my flawless memory and she grinned in delight. "Wonderful books."

"Call me Shan," she purred and offered a hand. Really purred, like a gigantic housecat and I knew that I was doomed to adore yet another special woman from a distance. Her ears stood nearly the height of the crown of her head, sharply pointed and softly furred. I remembered my name, but was having trouble trying to make my mouth work. Huntress finally chuckled and broke the moment.

"Gibson, you're drooling. I think I'm jealous. Can I bother you for a drink?"

I finally shook off my new infatuation and returned to business. "What can I get you lovely ladies tonight?"

"Just that great microbrew you get from Michigan."

"Coming right up. And you, Crystal Singer?"

Shan chuckled throatily and my heart skipped a beat. "Do you have any beers with a fruity tone? My sense of taste is really sensitive."

"I have just the thing."

Once they were settled in with drinks, it was time for me to start asking questions. "So what's become of the Canary?"

"I traded in for an over twenty-one model," Huntress deadpanned and Shan sputtered into her beer.

"God, you're a smartass."

"Takes one to know one."

For a moment they glared at one another in fond annoyance before giggling. I was startled to see the tail reach up and coil around Huntress' shoulder to cuff her lightly. "Wow," I couldn't help but whisper and Shan smiled at me.

"Prehensile," was the needless explanation and I nodded. "Can I have another of these? They're really good."

"Hey Shan, do you play pool?" Huntress suddenly spoke up as a table opened up.

"Yep, and I'm good too. Ready to get the pants beat off you?"

"You think it's that easy to get my pants off?"

"Slut."

"You're just jealous because your girlfriend's jailbait."

"Oh yeah, because I always follow the rules. To break a law, I have to legally exist, don't I?"

They continued to banter as they moved over the pool table with studied nonchalance, all banter and smooth moves. It was a feast for the eyes and I was certainly not the only one staring.

 

++ Dinah ++

Keeping up with Ro was nearly as difficult as keeping up with Huntress. As much as gorilla as monkey as cat, Ro was blessed with an awareness of her surroundings that bordered on the mystic. Every nook and cranny of every rooftop and the empty drops in between seemed familiar to her, like she'd been there a thousand times. By watching carefully where she put her hands and feet, I was almost able to keep up.

I finally had to call for a break. "Ro! Leo, gimmie a sec." Winded, my muscles growing sore again, I remained hunched over, hands on my knees, sucking deep lungfulls of air. "You're killin' me here."

"Age over youth," Ro teased lightly and Barbara chuckled in my ear.

"Oh sure old lady," I sassed and straightened up with a sigh. "You've got what, less than four years on me?"

"Something like that."

Ro settled at the sheer edge of the building, perched splay-legged on the balls of her feet with her hands braced by her boots. I was limber, but not that limber, and flopped down next to her in a regular old sitting position. "So how old are you?"

The helmet titled slightly in my direction for a moment and I could picture her small smirk. There was a long pause where I heard only the sounds of breathing in my com. "Twenty-two on October twenty-third," Ro admitted quietly. "That was the first day Squeakers and me first breathed on our own. You?"

"Wha…? Oh right. I'll be eighteen on September twenty-first."

"Well, at least you're close," she chuckle-purred and I flushed. There was no mystery about Shan and I flirting and I had expected to take shit for it. At least Ro was kinder than Helena with the teasing. "We should start getting back to the bike, but I'll slow down for you."

If I'd been less sore from the fight yesterday, I would have been insulted. Instead, I just followed her slower pace back across the seedy section of the city we were patrolling. When Ro jerked to a halt so suddenly that I almost tripped over her, I spluttered, "hey!"

"Shhhh," Ro hissed softly and I froze as her head swung to one side and then the other. Finally, she reached up to yank the helmet loose and her expression was oddly sad. "Aww man, that sucks."

"What?"

"Some dogs got to a litter of kittens down there in that trash. I can smell it."

Eeewww, overshare, I whined internally, but managed to not say it out loud. Then Ro's head came up again and she sniffed carefully at the light breeze.  
"Stay here," she instructed and shoved the helmet into my hands before making a graceful leap at the opposite wall of the filthy alley, bouncing carefully off and landing in a perfect crouch two stories down. It was no wonder I felt so physically outclassed most of the time. Carefully, she sniffed around the alley and I couldn't imagine how she tolerated the stench I could smell up here. Then she froze suddenly and I could hear her purr motor kick in through the com on her ear. "There's a kitten still alive."

That was how slow our night was, we were reduced to rescuing orphaned kittens. Not that I didn't like kittens, but it seemed somehow… anticlimactic after the likes of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. "A kitten?" Barbara asked skeptically and I had to smile. She never struck me as the type to have pets and I was kind of perversely hoping that Ro might want to keep the orphan. If nothing else to see the look on Barbara's face. Ro ignored the question and crouched next to a heavy drainpipe that slowly dripped onto the pavement. Resting her head almost against the pipe, her purring rumbled over the com. It was such a soothing and oddly sexy noise, coming from someone so human like Ro and Shan. It was different from a regular kitty, deeper and throatier, like a bass speaker pulsing.

It was just too comforting and I sprawled out on the rooftop, knowing that my partner was within earshot.

 

++ Harley ++

"Ma'am?"

At Charmander's voice, I spun in my cushy chair and witnessed the skuzzy little man dangling from her Amazon fist. "A present my dear? How lovely!"

"He says he has some information of interest for you."

The rat 'whuffed' as he was dropped and I wrinkled up my nose in distaste at the smell of him. "Charmander, love, do hose off scum like this next time, won't you?"

"Of course ma'am."

While I was tempted to toy with both my girl and the scruffy rat on the floor, I was too annoyed tonight. Damn that Helena! Turning the force of my glower on the man, I growled, "start talking, I'm not in the mood for games."

"That… that reporter. The one that filmed the 'splosion downtown."

"What about her?"

"Commissioner Gordon is at her place right now. I saw it with me own eyes and thought it might be valuable to you… ma'am."

Okay, that stopped me in my tracks. Commissioner Jim Gordon, the very man who had locked up my puddin' and father to that hated Batwench, who was at this very moment helping Helena to try and stop me. The mind boggled at the possibilities.

"Take me there. I'll make it worth your while."

In a reclaimed old industrial section of the city, I handed the little man a wad of cash that made his jaw drop and growled at him to get lost. Even if he alerted the police, we would be long gone. This was almost going to be better than having that Alfred Pennyworth under my thumb!

My sweet, irreplaceable Raichu fried the electrical system of the building, slumping to the ground in exhaustion as the whole building erupted into chaos. It was wonderful! Good thing no one lived nearby or the police would be all over this. Not to mention my hated rivals. I stood back to listen to the sweet sounds of battle, shots firing out, screams of pain. Oops, it sounded like I was going to need a few more minions. Ah well, no loss there. With my hypnosis, minions were like potato chips. Crunch all you want, I'd make more!

"Come pets!" I yelled. "I'll open my presents back at the warehouse." I was surprised when my collection of metahumans and streetscum dragged out a third body, muscular and male. "A third prize?" Tilting back the shaved head, I felt the perverse delight bubble up, hot and sticky like boiling honey. Oh, it really didn't get better than this. I let out the pressure with a ringing laugh that echoed around the dark apartment. The reporter, the father and the ex-boyfriend. There were days I loved my job. "Charmander sweetie, if you'll find the nice reporter's kitty and bring it with you, that would be great. I've been wanting a pet that purrs and I doubt that Doctor B will want me keeping one of the twins. Oh, and make sure that you leave the place the way it looks now, no fireworks. I want a proper reception for Helena and the others. No sense in ruining the surprise by having them track us down to early!"

"Yes ma'am."

And back to the lair to see what mischief I could cook up with these new pawns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like the imagery of looking over 'the edge'. It calls up danger and bravery.
> 
> The Edge  
> By Eiffel 65
> 
> I've been to the Edge   
> And I've been to the edge  
> Yes I've been to the edge  
> I've been to the edge  
> And God knows if I look down,   
> Look down
> 
> (Repeat)


	12. Filthy Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awesome kinky sex. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> XXX NC17, XXX NC17, XXX NC17
> 
> Okay, this is your official warning. There is serious kinkiness in here folks; I won't be responsible for any shock value. If you're curious as to what EXACTLY I mean, there's a description at the very bottom of the chapter. Go read it if you want to see if you'd like to read, or just be brave and forge ahead.
> 
> There's really nothing that is absolutely integral to the plot in this chapter, except for the orphan kitten coming home to the manor, which is a 'duh' from the last chapter. That said, the muses really pulled out the stops in this one, so enjoy the ride!

++ Barbara ++

With Ro and Dinah rescuing kittens, and Shan horsing around with Helena, there was little for me to do. It was slow enough that Dick and Davie were playing chess downstairs, on standby in case something went down. So I was left monitoring the dual conversations of my two teams as they went about their business. Ro's sensual, droning purr was threatening to put me to sleep, or send me off to the bathroom to get rid of the growing ache between my legs. Dammit, it was like she and Helena had uncorked a lifetime of repressed need and I felt like an exposed nerve, raw and sensitive. I loved and hated it, not used to the out-of-control feelings. Dinah had already given into the urge to nap, I could hear the change in her breathing, but Ro was close by so I wasn't worried. Helena and Shan had charmed the crowd at No Man's Land for a few hours before wandering over the cityscape again. I had enjoyed listening to them doing it. Honestly, I wish I could have been there.

"Hey, what about that place?"

It wasn't Shan's question, or the faint sounds of the bike abruptly switching directions, but Helena's reaction that dragged my attention from my research.

"It's a sex shop, you nut."

And I knew I was in for a long night.

"I know it is. Look at the size of the magazine section through the window; it's like twenty-four hour porn on a stick." Helena laughed and even I had to grin. "All they need is a drive-thru. I'd like to see a menu please." The laughter was mutual now, the two of them cracking up in the New Gotham night. "I'm going in," Shan announced and my monitors showed that the bike had shut off.

"Why?" Helena giggled.

"Because I have an idea that oughta put you and Babs into orbit."

"What?" Helena sounded as startled and alarmed as I felt. Not to mention the thrill of guilty arousal at what my lover's identical twin might have planned. There was a jangle of a doorbell and the sound of faint music.

"Hey, this place is classy," Shan mused and the door jingled again.

"What are you after?"

"Know it when I see it," was the enigmatic reply and I swallowed hard. Just mentioning the possibility of what those girls could find in that shop combined with my two lover's wildness and imagination had me hot and bothered. So I stared at the rock wall and just listened.

"Hey, m'man," Shan called out jovially and a light male voice answered in a friendly tone.

"Hi there. What a fabulous outfit! Where did you get that shirt? And that thick belt? Fabulous, darlin'!"

"Girl's got to keep her toys handy," Shan chuckled and I could visualize her stroking Slinky where it was wrapped around her waist. "I was hoping you could help me with a weird problem."

"Fire away."

"Okay, I have a couple toys that are too long for penetration and I need to block how far they can go in so my pets don't get hurt."

I really had no clue what she was talking about for a long moment, and then understanding started to dawn.

"What kind of toy?"

"A tail? Kidding. Seriously, something that would work on a boy too long for the rest of the pets, as well as any accessories."

"A cockring would work."

"Yep, but it needs to be pretty snug. And thick, to hinder depth of penetration, if the scene gets a little… enthusiastic."

"Okay," the salesman mused as my mind whirled.

Shan was talking about Binky…

Oh.

My.

God.

Shan was talking about Binky! And my dirty, base lizard brain began to conjure up all kinds of images and sensations, heat flooding my body to pool in my groin. I had felt the strength and thickness of that tail, felt it curl around my body with the kind of precision I would normally associate with hands. Helena's breath was taking on a ragged quality and I could clearly imagine the look on her face.

"Well, here. Take a look at these," the salesman's voice jerked my attention back to the drama unfolding at the other end of the multi-million dollar communication system.

"They look like toys!"

"I know, but put a couple of fingers in there and give them a tug."

"Wow, they really stretch out. But…"

"I know, you said your boy gets enthusiastic. If you use these latex strips to wrap him up nice and snug, that should bulk him up enough to control how far he can get in. And, it'll keep him harder longer."

"Oh, there's no problem with that."

"You're making me jealous; you know that, don't you?"

Shan laughed in delight at the man's petulant tone. "And these little spiky balls are for stimulation? Hey, Raf, come pick a couple of colors you like. They're made out of that soft jelly material and should get you screaming, huh?" There was a pause as the man's voice faded away. "Made you blush," Shan mocked smugly and I could picture the arrogant, lecherous grin and was forced to smile despite my humiliation and boiling hormones.

"You're enjoying this," I managed to get out and was alarmed at how low and hoarse my tone was.

"So are you. You'll enjoy it more later," Shan smirked and I swallowed hard. "Ooooooo," she suddenly breathed out in awe. "Look at that jacket. Oh, drool."

"The pink one," Helena suddenly spoke up in a strained tone I'd never heard before and the salesman chuckled.

"Playfulness is good. The blue one would look good with your coloring."

"And the green too."

"You got it."

"Hey, what's that metal ring?"

"The one with the ball in it? It's a clit stimulator."

Helena swallowed so hard that I could hear it quite clearly in the mike at her throat. I was assaulted by the memory of her tongue stud wreaking havoc with my libido. "Got it in about an inch and half?"

"Sure thing. Anything else tickle your fancy?"

Helena took note of rings made of soft rubbery materials with little nubbies or bumps or protrusions for stimulation and hard rings of acrylic and gold and steel. It was like a scene from a porno movie, except that I was a player. "A vibrator? You're kidding?"

"Nope, here."

The near growl of a very horny Helena Kyle made me actually whimper in desperation. "I… I need to go find my friend."

"Sure thing, I'll have these ready for you."

Helena's breathing was deep and fast, nearly matching my own. There was a smacking noise and Shan yelped, "hey!"

"I hope you're satisfied," Helena growled menacingly and Shan's voice turned serious.

"Hel, I'm not kidding about this. We have one of the best sex toys ever blessed to humankind attached to our butts. Those straps and stuff will make sure that you or Babs can get some lovin' without Ro having to think too hard, y'know? Let her loose? Just grab Binky and tie it off however long you want it and let her take you there. You'll like the way the fur feels."

Her tone was utterly matter-of-fact and the sheer kinkiness was threatening to make me implode. "How do you know that?" Helena grumbled petulantly, obviously tired of being teased.

"Duh. How the hell do you think we learned what we liked? Me and Boo have a lot less hang-ups about sex and nakedness, because we were never taught that it was taboo. We just didn't care when were kids and hit puberty really early. Shit, we weren't even ten years old when it hit and we escaped because adolescence triggered off our 'porting."

"Shit," I suddenly gasped and whipped my head around. As if my night couldn't get any more humiliating.

Gabby waved sheepishly at me from where she sat about fifteen feet away at the chemical set for the nanites. She was as flushed as I could quite clearly feel on my own skin.

 

++ Ro ++

"Shit," Barbara swore quite clearly over the coms and Dinah and I both paused in silently petting and reassuring the frightened kitten. A few minutes she had groused at the other team in a strange tone that I hadn't really been paying attention to. "I'm going to have to get used to you being here, Gabby. Okay troops, I'm calling it a night. It's almost four anyway. Come home. Yes Shan, that means you too. Quit teasing."

"What is she doing?" I asked suspiciously, wondering what kind of trouble my sister was causing. When Oracle didn't answer, I worried. "That bad?"

"No… not really. Just come home."

Okay, now I realized that there was indeed a strange note in her digital-clear voice. A low, breathless quality that I suddenly remembered all too clearly from the bed… and the bathroom. Her body squirming in ecstasy, her voice screaming out her pleasure, her contented moans with the same quality as her voice held now. Okay, it was definitely time to get home!

"C'mon Canary," I growled, tucking the now calm kitten beneath my armored vest where he was safe. "Let's get back to that bike and get home."

Without Oracle directing me through the unfamiliar city and Dinah not accustomed to the layout at ground level, it actually took a fair amount of time to get home.

As we tore up the dark road leading to the Batcave, Barbara greeted the other team tightly. "Welcome home."

In moments, we jetted under the rising door and back down the tunnel to the nerve center of operations. Yanking off the helmet as Dinah climbed off the bike, I took in the weird look on Helena's face. It was somewhere between desperation and fear, and she clutched a plain plastic bag with both hands to her chest. Something odd had happened, especially considering Shan's smug and frustrated expression. So I went to my sister and had her in a headlock before she could do more than squawk in protest. "What are you up to now, Squeakers?" Shan only giggled and struggled gamely, trying to upset my balance enough to get out of the headlock. It had been a long time since we had felt safe enough to roughhouse freely and I missed it. Then my new friend wriggled uncomfortably against my ribs and yowled fiercely.

"Is that…?"

"Yep," I chuckled and unzipped enough to let the little fluffball tumble out onto my hand. He was a tiny cat, and all matted dark fur and huge gold eyes and white teeth. "I think he'll be gray with a bath."

"He's beautiful," Shan purred gently and the baby paused at the sound. He stepped willingly enough to Shan's gloved hands and I knew that he would be taken good care of. Affectionately, I nosed Shan's hair. "We'll rough house later," I promised and she chuckled again.

"You won't have the energy later. I'll take good care of the boy here, g'nite."

Dancing away, Shan went and head-butted Gabby first, and then much more affectionately with Dinah. They were adorable and I really hoped what was blooming between them was a love that would have few repercussions. They had both been through enough. Despite my grumbling stomach, I turned to my lovers, who watched me with hot, hooded gazes, their silence thick with the need radiating off of them both. What on earth had Shan been saying over the com?

Gesturing at the elevator, I caught Gabby's gaze for a moment before she ducked away. She was as bothered as Barbara and having a tougher time hiding it.

" _Squeakers seems a bit… riled. Not to mention Oracle and Oracle junior. You guys all good?_ " I had no clue how to answer Davie's question and broadcast my confusion. " _Ah well, go enjoy your women and I'll go check up on the teens and chaos child. Did you really bring home a stray?_ "

" _Yeah. Thanks Davie._ "

" _No problem. We'll just sit around and moan that you got them both._"

Her telepathic chuckle earned the same from me as I followed Helena and Barbara into the elevator. I was startled by being grabbed before the door was even closed, Helena hot and desperate behind my teeth, her body pressing heavily into mine. Not that I was complaining, but her intensity was bruising and I purred for her gentleness. She whined back and pulled away to bury her face in my chest. Barbara looked like she wanted to do the same and I pulled off the armored gloves to reach across the small space to stroke her cheek. Like a cat in heat, she rubbed up against my fingers, her grip white-knuckled on the arms of her wheelchair.

"Shan told us about the tail," Helena rasped into my vest and understanding dawned. "I'm feeling a little desperate and horny right about now."

That was all I needed to hear and both brains kicked in to see what I could do for my lovers. Binky slithered around and Helena squeaked as I coiled the appendage around her pelvis, digging up deep into her crotch through the armored suit. Leaning over Barbara, I caught her eager mouth in a deep kiss and slid both arms around her to draw her to my body. Once she was tight to my chest, I shifted one hand to slide over her fine ass and between her legs. Nearly got my tongue bit for my trouble as I massaged the hot flesh hidden beneath her clothes. About that time the elevator reached the penthouse suite and the door slid open. Helena yanked imperiously at my body, nearly upsetting all three of us.

"Shan insisted that you have no embarrassment factor and I have all kinds of naughty things I wanna do to both of you," Huntress growled and I gripped Barbara carefully and tried to ignore her teasing mouth on my ear and neck. "Move your hands lower." In the shadows of the penthouse, Barbara gasped in concert to her shirt being torn noisily away. Growling aggressively, Helena managed to get the black bra off without damaging it.

We somehow made it to the big bedroom and I gently placed Barbara on the bed while Helena secured the door and turned on a reading lamp at the bedside. "Get naked," she growled at me, her eyes nearly glowing with intensity. "I have a few things to take care of."

Enjoying her aggressiveness, I flashed Barbara a wry look that was echoed and started doing as I'd been told. Thankfully, the bulky armor came off fairly quickly, the entire ensemble held together with heavy-grade zippers, including the boots. Once blissfully naked, I crouched over Barbara and kissed her while trailing teasing fingers over her naked torso. She was returning the teasing almost roughly, obviously even further up the path of arousal then I'd suspected. The sole reason I got my hand deep into her pussy first, was that I was taller and had better reach. Huffing in that almost distressed note, Barb writhed against my hands as I stroked into her within the snug confines of her pants. She was hot and bothered all right, as I slid easily into her and set up the rhythm that would bring about her climax.

"Wait a sec!" Helena called out and I froze, much to Barbara's noisy disappointment. I half-rolled away so that we could both watch a very naked and rosy Helena stride out of the bathroom with a towel-full of stuff clenched in her hand. That intent look was incredibly sexy on her, making my heart race and Barbara's breath catch again. "I want to try out that tail. Babs first if she wants, 'cause the thought's got us both crazy."

"Hell yes," Barbara giggled and ran her fingers through my hair.

"It's been years since I've played like that, and it's hard not to…"

"I know," Helena interrupted and strode over to drop the towel next to me to reveal quite an impressive collection of sex toys. "Gimmie Binky." The tail floated over until she could grip it, for I was quite curious to see what they had in mind. Grabbing a handful of what looked like nothing more than non-sticky electrical tape; Helena grabbed Binky in her fist, leaving about six inches wiggling free. "This good?"

"Yes," Barbara whimpered and I realized that they were serious. Having an incredibly dexterous and sensitive prehensile tail had led to all kinds of carnal experiments in my younger years. Shan and I had figured out quite a few tricks over time and it looked like I was going to get to recycle all that knowledge. Helena began twining the stretchy black strips around Binky about where her fist had been. I concentrated to make it stay as still as possible, only the chronically twitchy tip vibrating with my internal tension. Soon there was a thick wad of the latex strips, because I recognized the smell, around my tail and the fur stuck up crazily around the edges. Helena went for the towel again and I brought Binky up between my legs and twined it tight around one hip and then the other, making a figure eight and leaving the remaining length sticking up like a hard-on.

Helena actually paused when she saw the teasing display. There was a little spiky ball that she slid down Binky until it stretched easily over the lump of latex ties. "You're a tease; you know that, don't you?"

"Me? You two are the ones suddenly bringing old kinks back to life."

"Do you like penetration?" Barbara suddenly asked, tugging at my hair to get my attention.

"Sure, it feels good. Binky here works just as well on me as it will for you."

Again she whimpered as Helena wrapped her other hand, cool and slick with what I assumed was lube, around my modified tail. It felt wonderful, all of my sensitive nerve endings singing along to the stroking fingers and the knowledge of where it would be in moments. So I kissed and stroked over Barbara's body, caressing her beautiful breasts and exquisite musculature. She moaned and cried out, fingers twisting at the bedding as I tortured her. Helena was starting to do that same to me, by skritching and caressing over my body, paying special attention to the places where my skin was irritated by my working clothes. Soon I spread Barbara's unresisting legs apart and cupping her lusty heat in my hand.

"You ready?"

"Please," she whispered clearly and softly, holding my eyes as I maneuvered closer, reaching down to guide my tail to where I could pleasure her. Shifting my hips, I paused just at the entrance to her body, letting the flickering tip lick at her whole pussy. It earned exactly the reaction I wanted, the green eyes rolling back in Barbara's head, her whole body torquing with pleasure.

"Oh, I like watching you like this," I growled harshly, pressing the flicker inward, feeling her feverish heat close around me oh-so-slowly. Whining, crying, begging, Barbara egged me onward, inching further in until Helena's careful preparation did exactly its job and prevented me from slipping any further into the hot body beneath me. Propping myself onto both elbows, pleasantly distracted by Helena's increasing attentions to my own body, I held myself brushing against Barbara's writhing body and let us both enjoy the sensations of my active tail deep inside her heat. It never stopped moving, unless I was truly unconscious, not merely sleeping, as the constant electrical signals from the little brain at my pelvis kept it active. Now Barbara was the recipient of all that energy, massaging her sensitive internal membranes and making her really scream for it. And when I started thrusting shallowly, she grew even noisier, much to my delight.

"Beg for it," Helena snarled, pressing her body into mine to encourage my movements. When she slid a hand down to tangle her fingers among Binky's coils and deep into my own ache, I was only too happy to oblige. Happily trapped between them, I brought my knees up a bit and started Barbara's motor up for real. Rocking my hips at staggered, unpredictable angles, I made certain that the matted fur reached every internal spark that was reachable. The woman had a grip on her like a vice, threatening to scalp me as she began to quake and I ducked in to sink my teeth into her collarbone.

She was a screamer like a horror movie victim, the ear-splitting shriek making my sensitive ears protest as the earthquake of climax roared through her body. Not willing to let her come down quite yet, I reached down to massage her quivering clit, the little knobby ball caressing my fingers as I continued to rock shallowly into her clenching heat to see if I could coax another climax from her. "C'mon gorgeous," I growled softly, circling my hips seductively and she whimpered, her pussy clinging tightly. "One more." It took a few blissful minutes of tight, coordinated movements, my concentration in her pleasure absolute, before she whined in a high-pitched animalistic tone that made my lizard brain really sit up and take notice. It started deep inside, the quivers like birth contractions they were so intense. Barbara didn't know what to do, her head tossing back and forth on the pillow, her sounds soft and desperate. It lasted a long time, the pulsing of her deep, deep pleasure almost as satisfying to me as to her.

Only then did she relax slowly into the bed, every ounce of tension easing from her strong body. Remaining pressed lightly to her; I kissed and nuzzled, smugly proud of the blissed-out look on her face. Glassy, smoky green eyes finally opened and focused half-heartedly on me. "You good for now?" Barbara nodded slowly and I reached out to grab the edge of the bedding and yank it over her as I rolled away. I used my momentum to turn Barbara onto her side so that she could watch and then followed through on the twist to attack Helena. She didn't offer any resistance as I pinned her to the bed and felt her legs twine around me. There was no need for words as I slid home in her slick heat and swallowed her barking whine of pleasure. Getting my knees under our combined weight so that her ass was pressed up, I began a steady, relentless fucking that I knew she'd like.

Growling, Helena dug into my skin a little too hard and I felt the pain derail me for a moment. Pulling out and breaking her hold around my hips, I stood and hooked a hand under her ass to flip her imperiously onto her stomach, earning that agitated panther yowl and a flash of red eyes as she glowered over her shoulder. As pissy as the pussycat might act, she willingly got up on her knees and arched her back sexily. That intoxicating pink flash was irresistible and I was mean and gave her a long, rough lick that continued over her fine ass and up her spine. Pausing with my lips resting between sweaty shoulder blades, I let Binky feel around as Helena held perfectly still beneath me. She growled as the tail tip twitched urgently against every inch of her labia and perineum, even stroking her clit until I relented and felt for that supple, vulnerable hole. Surging roughly into her softness, I sank my teeth into Helena's neck, gripping the tendons like a tomcat half-mad with the smell of a queen in heat with her tail in the air. Squalling and screeching like a tigress, Helena pushed back and I wrapped both arms around her waist and thrust firm and unrelenting into her. The flesh in my teeth grew tenser, her head hanging low between her stiff arms. I dug blunt-clawed toes into the mangled bedding for purchase and changed the angle of the sensitive piece of my anatomy enjoying her female heat. Fairly certain I could keep a grip on the shaking body beneath my greater mass, I snaked a hand down and slid two fingers between the hairy lips and straddled her tiny little erection. I stroked in time with Binky, knowing that the nubby toy was teasing her clit from behind as my fingers got her from above. Her caterwauling tightened up in sync with the grip of her muscles as the resistance to my thrusting grew. I snarled and released her neck only to bite down on the other side, close to the curve of shoulder. That was all it took, the climax smashing through her and I chose to keep riding her, even as her body began to slide mostly prone, lost in the feelings. I gentled the thrusting, letting Binky do its amazing internal massage and groomed the places where I'd bit her with a gentle tongue.

Mewing softly, Helena squirmed seductively, head back, back arched, scratching her nipples against the textured comforter, knees far apart to give me easy access. The lovemaking was more about comfort now, not the animalistic fucking of moments ago. Wrapped around her as much as I possibly could, I purred like a diesel engine and licked her silky skin. Chewing at her dark hair as though grooming her, I gentled my thrusting again, barely moving inside of her, really wanting to feel the awakening eruption. Like Barbara, it started deep within and built slowly like the preceding ripples of an earthquake. I stroked my hand over her tense abs and belly, ducked in between her legs to flick at her clit, and repeated the pattern, again and again. Helena groaned in relief as the ripples hit, grunting in time to the deep contractions and rubbing her face and chest into the fabric.

 

++ Barbara ++

They really did sound like a wildlife documentary. The sheer animal sensuality of watching them like this was shattering. Helena so trustingly showing her back, vulnerable in the position, unable to defend herself from any attack. Ro lovingly gripping her, the narrow hips pistoning into Helena's smaller body. As Helena's climax receded, they relaxed and Binky stiffly uncoiled from its grip around Ro's hips. Still sprawled atop Helena's body, Ro picked wearily at the latex straps and I gathered my strength to help. It wasn't easy, the strips were slick with lube of all kinds, but they eventually released and Ro sighed happily. I cuddled against them, burying my face into their dark and light hair. Both of them were still purring, their bodies as limp as my own, except for the irrepressible Binky, draped over my ribs and twitching against my upper spine. "Wow," Helena sighed and Ro chuckle-purred. I could only hum in agreement. "It's not like I haven't had sex before… but wow."

"You're welcome," Ro suddenly raised her head and yawned hugely, flashing the inch-long fangs top and bottom. The bites on Helena's neck were purpling already, the faintest smear of blood mixing with the saliva and sweat on her skin. My lovers were so raw and uninhibited that any puritanical shock on my part seemed hypocritical.

"You're certainly talented with that thing," I murmured and Ro kissed my forehead gently. Turning my head, I caught her lips with my own, kissing her gently, but thoroughly. "You okay?"

"Peachy," Ro murmured, but her eyes were still not relaxed, the nictitating membrane tight inside her outer lids, and her back arched needily into my touch. "Aren't you tired?"

"Exhausted, but I want you. Now c'mere." There was a half-hearted grumble of protest from Helena as Ro carefully moved off her and followed my gesture to climb further up the vast bed and lay back. "Put a pillow under your hips. I can't promise anything wild, but I can ease your ache," I teased lightly and she grumble-purred happily back. For a moment, I kissed Helena's silky back, near where her body was bruising up so spectacularly.

"Dunno why we get so rough," Helena murmured in what sounded like embarrassment and I wrapped one arm around her and squeezed.

"It's sexy to watch, love, don't think you need to justify anything to me. There are needs you have I'm not certain I could ever live up to, and I'm so glad you're both here."

Helena rolled onto her side to eye me with doubtful and vulnerable blue eyes. Nearby, Ro settled in and Binky stroked gently over our upper ribcages. Nuzzling at Helena's beautiful face, I kissed softly over her features until I could drink deeply at her mouth. That perked her up and made her smile when I raised my head. "I love you," she said with absolute certainty and I grinned happily. I wasn't certain that she was ever going to flat-out say it, and was glad for the promise in those three words.

"I love you too," I whispered and we kissed again for a long moment before Helena was animated again.

"Sweet. We'll continue that conversation later, sexy. Right now, we're teasing the bigger cat."

"Don't stop the bonding on my account," Ro deadpanned wryly and chuckled as Helena crawled up to kiss her. That left me to explore her strong legs, where I was amazed to find that the white fuzz was even softer here, where both Helena and I would get rough and stubbly without shaving. Moving her left leg under the pressure from my hand, Ro gave me the space to shift my body carefully so that I was propped on my elbows between her shins. I began kissing and licking my way up her legs slowly, alternating back and forth while the cats grumbled and purred at one another above my head. By the time I reached the baby-soft inner thighs, Ro had one leg drawn up and was starting to twitch her hips urgently. So I licked teasingly at the silky crease where her thighs met her pelvis and heard the growl echo through her bones. Repeating the lick on the other side, Ro's growl deepened into a snarl that made Helena chuckle.

"Whassa matter, big girl? Red bein' mean?"

"Tease," Ro complained and I knew she aimed it at both of us. That was my cue to bring my hands up to peel her wet sex open and continue the kissing and licking where she needed it the worst. Binky coiled around my waist in a hug while Helena straddled Ro's waist. Hot and wet and musky, Ro was unique and yet really not significantly different than any other woman, except for the bulk of the tail under my chin. Wanting to give her relief after the fantastic loving from earlier, I grabbed her clit to suckle at and slid a couple of fingers deep inside so that her body had something to grip at. Ro was grunting and carrying on now, and Helena was goading her on. Ignoring the ripples of her climax, I gripped her quivering clit in my teeth and worried the little organ with my tongue while still keeping the suction nice and tight. Now Ro was howling and Helena purred along in harmony. Turning my hand over, I loosely curled my fingers up and massaged the clinging walls as best I could within the tight confines of her powerful pelvic muscles. It took a little exploring, but I felt the jolt in her body as I found a spot she liked. That did it and her hips jerked up once and froze for long moments while she hissed and cried out in pleasure. Happy with my accomplishment, I nuzzled her flushed sex as her body relaxed fully.

"Oh yeah," Helena purred softly. "That was nice to watch. Feel better?"

"Have I mentioned recently how glad I am that I found you two?"

"It's entirely mutual," I yawned and rested my head on her abdominal muscles. "I don't know what it is about you two, but you make me feel safe and accepted."

Half-asleep now, I felt Helena wriggle around to press up against Ro's leg and embrace me. Clawed fingers groomed gently through my long hair and the soothing echo of Ro's distant purr pulled me further towards sleep. Soon enough, reality would take this from me and we would be forced to fight again. Until then, I would relish this.

 

 

To recap for those of you not wanting the dirty details: Shan drags Hel to a sex shop and gives her ideas. Ro proves just how useful of an appendage Binky really can be. Still not specific enough? Sheesh… TAIL USED AS SEX TOY! Good enough?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, make certain that you listen to a club remix. I like the original version of the song, but the remix is what makes this chapter raunchy and lusty. There's a darkness to the lyrics, a desperation that I think applies to an extent to Barbara in particular. She has so many demons that they could destroy her. Thankfully, both Hel and Ro can handle it.
> 
> Filthy Mind: the Peter Rauhofer Club Remix  
> By Amanda Ghost
> 
> Love is gone  
> My TV's on  
> I'm hanging with the boys  
> A life with fools  
> This world is cruel  
> We never dispense with toys  
> Could you make a suggestion  
> For an act I would enjoy
> 
> (Chorus)  
> I'm drowning  
> So come inside  
> Welcome to my filthy mind
> 
> (Chorus)  
> My fingers are burnt  
> Forgot what I learnt  
> I'll never be a satisfied  
> Become a recluse  
> Enjoy the abuse  
> It's better to get just high


	13. Serve the Ego

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go terribly, horribly wrong.

++ Dinah ++

"Well, his lungs are healthy anyway," I commented wryly as the kitten screeched again. Like a tiny little Velcro monster, he attached himself to Shan's armored glove with the intent of brutally ripping it to pieces. He'd been so filthy that a thorough scrub was the only way to get rid of the grime and stench clinging to him. Razor sharp little claws were as quick and deadly as shattered glass and Shan had pulled on her work gloves for protection. Water and soap was scattered for ten feet in all directions and Shan was soaked. Gabby had long since laughed herself silly while I just admired the view.

As annoyed as Shan was, the kitten was just a scared baby and she was treating him just like that. "There ya go," she purred soothingly as she was finally able to transfer him to a warm, dry towel and let him calm down. All I could see was a spiky dark head, enormous ears and great, sunshine-gold eyes peering out suspiciously from the dark hidey-hole.

"I don't think he likes me," I complained and Shan nuzzled me gently.

"I don't think he likes anything right about now," Gabby chuckled.

"What should we call him?"

"Apollo." Blinking, both Shan and I looked over to where Gabby was very pleased with herself. "It goes with the whole Oracle of Delphi theme and his gold eyes."

"I get it," Shan chuckled and rubbed Apollo's little body through the towel.

"I don't," I pouted and got nuzzled again.

"The Oracle at Delphi in ancient Greece was dedicated to the god, Apollo. He was the deity of song, the sun and healing. It'll amuse Barbara hugely, I'm sure."

While we all laughed, the door to the kitchen opened and Alfred stopped in his tracks. A look of horror spread over his face, before being quickly hidden behind his calm manner. That made me look around at the mess we'd made of his domain and wince. "Umm, good morning Alfred. Ro rescued a kitten, see? Dogs killed his momma and his siblings." It was placating the elderly butler, who glowered coldly at the mess and the sheepishly dripping Shan.

"The bathroom was too far?" He asked archly and we collectively cringed. How could anyone sound so polite yet so pissed off?

"The sink's bigger?" Shan supplied lamely and Alfred frowned ever so slightly. Before anyone else could react, Shan had shoved the towel and kitten into Gabby's arms and was quickly scrubbing up the scattered water. It was a nervous, almost desperate gesture and I felt helpless to put her at ease. Alfred sighed and went to Shan, putting a hand on her arm.

"Miss Shan, it's quite all right. After all, your sister did save a life if I heard correctly. I'm certain that the lady of the house will be delighted with a feline pet underfoot."

"Sorry," Shan whispered softly. "There's a part of me that still tweaks when an elder growls at me. Too many years of… of…" She couldn't even finish the sentence and tears pooled up in her pale eyes. With a sigh, Alfred reached up to tug her head onto his shoulder and she sniffled into his pristine shirt.

"I know, child. I know."

In that moment I really began to understand the trauma that the twins had lived with in their younger lives. I remembered my own childhood with the Redmonds, punished with isolation and ostracism because of the visions that would plague me periodically. Every time I thought I could hate the mysterious Doctor B anymore than I already did, something would trigger off one of the twins. Shan sighed heavily and rubbed her face into Alfred's shoulder for a moment before straightening up. "Thank you, Alfred. It strikes without warning sometimes, all the memories and behaviors from a life I left behind." Her serious expression abruptly melted into the most adorable, heart-meltingly sweet, shy smile. "Do you know that you're only the fourth male I've ever really interacted with?"

"You don't say?" Alfred tried to act as though that smile wasn't begging for one in return and was failing miserably.

"Yeah, the girl children were raised by all women and the boys by all men. I've never even met Doctor Smith, except for very, very briefly when me and Ro had to rescue Miss Honey. It's a long story."

There was something about Alfred that made a person want his approval and acceptance. Shan gulped down fresh tears and ducked her head so that she could rub up against his jaw like a frightened kitty. Alfred sighed softly and gave into the urge to pet her head until she hiccup-purred in the thick quiet of the messy kitchen. "Perhaps one day you will be comfortable sharing it with me."

Shan grumbled something that only a cat or dog would say and Alfred ruffled her white mane affectionately. I wondered if treasured pets had once belonged in his life, because Shan certainly seemed to be bonding to him like a scared dog or a girl who needed a father figure.

"Now," Alfred broke the moment with a gentle, but no-nonsense tone. "If you assist me in cleaning this up, we'll call it even. Acceptable?" Shan nodded and gave him a watery smile. My heart was in my throat. "Miss Dinah, if you and Miss Gabby will take charge of our new boarder and find him a warm place to sleep, I will find something for all of you to eat."

All that only took a few minutes of concentrated effort. Apollo was comfortable tucked into Gabby's sling after nibbling on some canned tuna and fresh water, the kitchen was spotless and we humans were chowing on biscuits and gravy. I sat close enough to Shan to keep us touching at thigh and knee, wanting to be supportive while she struggled with her demons. Gabby yelped and dropped her fork when Apollo woke with a panicked cry and Shan jumped to comfort him. Curled up in his towel and tight against Shan's purring torso, Apollo quieted.

The rest of us grew silent as Shan… began to sing. It was an extraordinary sound, a flat, almost tuneless human hum that blended perfectly with her low, smooth purr. It was the perfect mesh of the opposing sides of her, the animal and the woman. Apollo yawned hugely and squirmed around until he was wrapped up in a tight little ball against her ribs and elbow. When I rested a hand on his soft dark gray fur, he was purring in contentment right along with Shan.

We'd spent most of the day sleeping in a pile with the new kitten. Half asleep, pinned securely between Shan and Gabby, I had to wonder how the hell I was ever going to be able to sleep alone again. In a sober quiet, we geared up as the sun fell and prepared to take the fight to Harley. This would end one way or the other.

In the deepest hours of the night, we were still looking.

"Argh," Barbara grumbled irritably and I could picture her rubbing her nose in a gesture that was as familiar as her smile, if not more. "You think they'd play something else besides that explosion footage."

"Not much else going on," Ro chuckled fondly. "Not with this rain."

Rain was an understatement. Floodgates were more like it. Water pounded down with punishing force, blinding and slippery. It was seriously cramping my style in this outfit. We were down on the waterfront, working our way towards the other team. After returning to the warehouse the big paramilitary truck had exploded from, we had quickly realized that it had been nothing more than storage. That meant that Harley had set up manufacture somewhere else and we were determined to find it.

Suddenly, I jerked to a halt, a flicker of movement catching my eye. "There," I hissed and defensively crept closer. Two people were conversing in low tones, suspicion and paranoia radiating off both of them.

"You ready?" Ro hissed softly and I nodded. Two slow nights with danger just out of our reach had me so wound up I was cramping.

The wharf rats bolted, one going down beneath a heavy blow from Binky, followed up by one of Ro's elbows to the skull. Mine managed to duck away and I dove after her into the deep shadows. Instinct and low light goggles kept me from smacking my head in the tangle of equipment and trash. "Canary," Ro growled and I sensed her on my heels. A deafening crash echoed through the tangled piles of industrial gear that was our personal playground now. "Dammit what if this is…"

She never had a chance to say it.

Goggles or no goggles, the flash was blinding. A searing, agonizing white light that made me stagger. That's all the wharf rat needed, and she threw her shadow over me. Ro howled in agony and there was a blur of movement from above. The flash subsided as though someone had pulled the cord; only to be replaced with stars in my eyes as someone's body slammed into me like a freight train.

"Canary! What the hell's going on!?"

It wouldn't be until later that I would really remember what happened.

The heavy body followed me to the brutally hard floor, slamming me down with a crack that left my skull aching and spinning. Ro let out the most horrible, blood-curdling scream and blue electricity flashed like a transformer blowing. Dazed and afraid, I watched a blonde woman, illuminated by steadily brightening lights, kneeling over Ro, completely consumed in arching lightning. Keening like a wounded animal, Ro could only twitch under the onslaught. Someone sat on my feet, another straddled my upper body, pinning me to the concrete.

"Hey Birdling," an Australian accent drawled at me and I blearily tried to focus on my captor. "You've been caged." Reaching into reserves of strength, I reached out with my mind to toss her away.

Nothing happened.

"Oh God," Barbara moaned in my ear and I was beginning to fuzzily realize that I was in deep shit. Somehow, I had no access to my telekinesis. How was that possible? By the way the big red-headed woman was grinning evilly at me, I'd lay odds she had something to do with it.

Then a figure was suddenly silhouetted in the glaring lamps, clapping slowly.

"Very nice," purred my enemy, her cropped blonde hair like a halo. "That came off without a hitch. Arcanine, if you'll keep the Birdling there for a few minutes, I have some business to attend to. Raichu, love, get up from the big kitty, she's mine now." Barbara was growing incoherent to my damaged brain, and I could only moan in dismay at our predicament. Harley paced around Ro's twitching body for a moment before seductively sinking down to straddle my partner's hips. Almost gently, she pulled away the black helmet and leaned over Ro's head. "Your keeper says that you can't wear contacts because of those second eyelids. So now the question is… will you do anything I ask?"

I could only cry out in horror.

++ Helena ++

Oh, I just knew I was grinning like a rabid savage, bloodthirsty and just plain pissed off. "Y'know," I taunted in a casual voice. "If you'd had half a clue, you'd have stayed in Arkham with junior."

"I love him, he's my boy," Clayface growled and circled like a hungry snake. "But he's got no style, no finesse."

For an old guy, he could still move like a predator and my temper kept making me clumsy. This really wasn't the kind of stalemate that I should be caught up in. Shan was up to her eyeballs in minions while I duked it out with the big man. The rooftops had rarely felt so dangerous.

"I restrained myself from killing you the last time, though I'm beginning to wonder why," I snarled, wrestling with the beast inside. Clayface only laughed, stood there like the arrogant, cocky bastard he was.

"Baby girl, you ain't got it in you. Any more than your sweet momma did."

I hated him so much that it was blinding… only the memory of Barbara's voice kept the killing rage at bay.

'We don't kill.'

Gulping for air, hunched and bristled up like a rabid cat, I fought down the demon inside me while he laughed at my torment. "Aw, poor baby. Must be hard to know that you can't do it, can't know what it's like to know you caused my death. Even if you catch me pumpkin, I'll always be there, like a nightmare, ready to escape and come for you, again and again."

So far, the fight had been a draw. While I might be Clayface's superior in raw fighting talent, he was wily and my game was way off. Despite the internal self-cheerleading, the bastard was getting to me. How desperately I wished I wasn't alone with him, alone and hurting and full of sorrow and rage. Like a shark in bloody waters, he zeroed in on my pain, jabbing that ragged place where my heart still cried out for my mother. I'd been such a momma's girl, hung on her every word, worshipped the ground she walked on. This monster had taken her from me, brutally murdered her in the pouring rain. Confused, in too much pain to think clearly, I had no defenses to his taunting and shied back warily like a wounded animal.

"What's the matter, baby girl? Can't take the pressure? Can't take the heat? Where's that spirit I admired? You're not your mother's daughter, you're just a baby."

Something snapped in me.

Years ago, not long after my metahuman abilities started showing up along with boobs, acne and the monthly curse, mom had told me how she'd come into her own feline abilities. She'd fallen, pushed by that bastard of a boss, hundreds of feet to the pavement below, even now; the thought of it horrified me.

The cats had come for her. Hundreds of them, every color and shape and size of the small 'domesticated' kitties that had been humanity's companion for thousands of years. And they had breathed life back into the woman who would later be my mother, best friend and mentor.

And now, I felt that power too.

Something stirred to life in me, a deep, feral need to survive, growling up from so deep inside me that I wasn't entirely sure that it really was me making the sound. Perhaps it was mom, long cold and dead, come back to make sure that I survived.

The world slowed, like someone had grabbed the movie reel, and Clayface's voice became a slow, incomprehensible drawl. At last freed of his taunting, I could think clearly, and lunged at him with every ounce of raw, feline fury in me.

There was no toying with this prey, this was a struggle for survival and I would not be the one to back down ever again.

In a flurry of blows, he was tumbling over the edge of the roof, eyes wide in shock.

Then I heard her voice again. Not mom's… no. It was the woman who had come to mean as much to me as mom ever had, perhaps even more.

'We don't kill.'

Lunging with blinding speed, I grabbed Clayface's hand, feeling his weight jerk against my smaller body. As badly as I wanted him dead, Barbara was right, we didn't kill. Some nights, it was the only thing that separated us from the bad guys. They might die sometimes, but never if I could help it.

"Boo's gonna kill Oracle! Hurry! Save her!"

There was a strange voice in my ear, there was terror staring me in the eye.

Time began to return to normal. Shan was bellowing for me, her voice drawing closer. But who the hell was talking in my ear? I'd never heard the voice before, female, high-pitched and squeaky with stress.

Boo was gonna kill Oracle…

Harley must have captured Ro and probably Dinah, and was attacking Barbara now. In a flash, Clayface was unimportant as Shan's heavier body landed atop mine, strong arms around my waist. In the split second before teleport, I said a quick prayer for Clayface's soul.

++ Twenty-six ++

"Boo's gonna kill Oracle! Hurry! Save her!" Terror clouded my mind and made my voice squeaky. I had been listening in on Miss Harley and Doctor B as they manipulated poor Boo and knew that I had to get involved. It might get me killed, but that hardly mattered anymore.

Cutting the connection, I snatched my hand away from the computer console and collapsed back into my chair. I did it… I really did it! Listening to my… the twins banter with their new family had been one thing. Warning Squeakers was something completely different. It was so strange, knowing that Squeakers was listening to my voice; somewhere off in the New Gotham night. Thirteen years ago, they had left me behind, probably assuming I was dead. For thirteen years I had been forced to help track them for capture. Now they were so close that I was afraid that Doctor B just might succeed…

Sending an email, right under Doctor B's nose, was possibly one of the most insane things I'd done in my life, outside of that quick communication to Squeakers. A simple, quick 'I'm sorry,' to warn Oracle of what was coming. If Doctor B had caught me, she probably would have killed me. I was shaking with fear and excitement, so sure that the Doctor would know what I had done, expecting to feel the shock of the discipline rod at any moment. She was so close, only on the other side of the room, preparing for the next test subject. Then she left, stepping out, only for a moment, but a moment was all I needed to warn Squeakers and the woman called Huntress.

It was a perverse thrill to be locked in mortal computer combat with the mighty Oracle. Like a chess match at light speed, we performed the thrust and parry of virtual warfare. We'd been at it for what felt like an eternity, both of us evenly matched. She was good! She was better than good; she was a goddess of cyberspace and made me work so damn hard.

Then I saw it. The tiniest chink in her defense. Every animal instinct in me rose up to pounce and take her down. The miracle of technology and miniaturization at my fingertips geared up to finish the battle. I had salvaged as much of the nanite-built hardware I could find from what was left of Doctor Smith's lab into a computer platform, the likes of which many world governments would ransom their mints for. The kicker was that the entire system could fit inside of a cargo van. I had spent years programming a software platform uniquely suited to my talents and utterly incomprehensible to anyone else. With that powerful technology behind me, I dove into the weak spot in Oracle's defenses and the Delphi reacted violently. This would take a few minutes, but I had her now. I was sickened and exhilarated, sweat beading up on my skin from the stress.

An eternity passed while I typed madly, sending program after program in a deadly chess game with the Delphi. There was a lull in the action while our programs wrestled like those big Japanese sumo wrestlers. It let me rub my ear where Doctor B had twisted it painfully earlier. Most of the time I hardly noticed the little hurts she inflicted on me, it was so commonplace. Why should she do anything differently? I was her great failure after all. It was common knowledge that I was still breathing because of my gift with electronics. It's not like I was human, or worth anything. Shaking off that familiar melancholy, I threw myself back into the battle with Oracle.

Then something happened.

Startled beyond words, I watched as the Delphi began to just… erase itself. I'd never seen anything like it. Stunned, I pressed my attack.

And something big landed on me like a semi-truck.

Not literally, but in cyberspace. The avalanche of code was so big that I knew in an instant that I would never stop it all. Like a swarm of diseased locusts, the virus code attacked my system, allowing the Delphi to escape.

It was brilliant.

 

++ Barbara ++

I heard the fights break out.

Harley's voice purring Ro into hypnotized submission, Clayface taunting Helena yet again. And there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.

My only warning was a quick text note on my suddenly darkened screen

'I'm sorry.'

The attack was brutal, efficient, intuitive and thorough. A hacker was trying to kill the Delphi. Trace routes had discovered that it was the same person that had sent me the scanned microfiche clipping that led to Poison Ivy. Why the hell would this 'Fai' be both warning and attacking me? Unless they had been coerced.

It was a delicate, desperate dance, parry and thrust like a fencer as the other computer wiz tried to best both me and the incredible machine at my disposal.

"Gabby, go warn Alfred what's going on and get the manor locked down."

"But…"

"Go!"

If the entire system had been up and running at peak efficiency, the outcome would have been different. But I didn't have all my tools at my disposal and found myself losing the battle. Stress over my loved ones screamed across my nerves as I watched my beloved computer system dying around me.

It was a desperate decision, but I had no choice. I still had to stop Harley, I had to keep the fleas away from Doctor B, I had to save my girls. I had always functioned well under stress; and a clarity came over me, a sharpness, a focus.

How did I accomplish it? With the Delphi dying around me and my legs still paralyzed, my options were limited.

Before the actions could even consciously register what I was doing, my fingers were dancing over the keyboard. Information streamed by like floodwaters.

'Command to Factory:'

I hesitated for the briefest moment before tapping out the seven letters that would change my life forever.

'Survive.'

With a cascade of information, it was done. I leaned over to yank the cord from the old hard-drive and waited while the Delphi fought to complete its programming.

'Backup complete. Virus ready.'

It was a weird safety feature, but I was insanely glad I'd installed it. Under the desk, mounted right up against the horizontal surface, was a break in the wire. A fiber-optic cable thicker than my thumb that led from the crashing mainframe to a massive hard-drive that Ro had barely noted. Never in a million years did I think that I'd ever come close to filling it, but Smith's old hard-drive had it splitting at the seams.

Decades of work from that dead madman were now backed up.

I couldn't watch the Delphi die, as my virus attacked both it and the invader. It was breaking my heart and I was still panicking at how I was going to save my family. Grabbing the spinal coupler, I took a deep breath and prepared myself.

The device was a dichotomy of function. Certainly, it jumped the damaged parts of my spine and branches, but the pain was excruciating. Even with the screaming urgency of the situation, I had to pause and adjust to the agony before I could stand. Grabbing the batons from the chair, I palmed the optical flasher to hopefully break Ro away from Harley's hypnosis, and shoved the heavy wheelchair onto its side in hopes of buying some time. Tucking the batons in by the coupler, I went to the chemistry suite and rummaged around until I found a squishy bag of saline.

Swallowing hard, I stepped over the egg and stared at it for a long moment. I was truly terrified of the possible implications of what I was about to do. I was afraid of what the hazy cloud inside the device could do to me. Fear had never stopped me before, and I would be damned if it was going to stop me now. So I picked up the heavy little nanite factory.

Getting the fleas out of the original factory hadn't been easy. It had never been designed to have both them and their liquid environment removed. Some of the fleas were even specifically programmed to never leave the environment. Their sole function was to hold programming and build more nanites. Ro called them Brain Bugs and cursed and growled at them until she had persuaded other of the nanites to effectively kidnap the Brain Bugs and move them to their new habitat. It had required the complete removal of the smaller of the two windows in the original factory and the saline-based environment dripping out into the new egg. The little iris port spiraled open under my touch and I choked down my nerves.

The liquid inside was thick and unpleasantly salty, coating my mouth and throat as I swallowed every drop I could get out. It wasn't easy, because the texture of the stuff was disgusting, but I did it. Using a pen on the counter, I punched a hole in the saline bag and filled the egg back up.

Tearing open a couple of the canisters containing the microscopic building materials for the fleas, I splattered the contents, hoping to cover the scent tracks of what I had done with the egg. That just left me to throw the punctured saline bag over the cliff and pray my deception would work.

Some sixth sense told me to hide. I dove behind the big chemistry set and clutched the egg close to my chest. There was a soft sound of displaced air and the thump of booted feet against the hard stone floor.

"Oh Baaaaaaaabs," came the low, playfully sing-song taunt. It chilled my blood to hear Ro's normally warm voice sound so Harley-esque "You can't hide from me lover." I hated how afraid I was, my breath quick and shallow, my sweat cold and my hands shaking. "You killed the Delphi? Desperate much?" There was a whisper of sound before the table above me exploded into violence beneath her pouncing weight. "You can't hide from me!"

I cringed as much from her violent tone as from the hail of shattered glass and mixed liquids. Rolling to the side, I felt blunt claws catch at my shirt. Clinging to the egg as though my life depended on it, I forced my objecting legs under me. In a fairly smooth maneuver, I was on my feet, baton in hand to smash the reinforced steel across Ro's unprotected back.

It flattened her to the table, but Binky lashed out to nail me in the ribs like a baseball bat. Winded and hurting, I used my momentum to regain my footing and scramble away. Ro shook off my hit and turned that raging, feral snarl on me. Only a day ago, she had been wrapped around me purring, full of adoration and love. Now I was looking into the face of a monster.

Suddenly, Ro straightened and crossed her arms negligently. Her expression became cold and calculating. "Bought yourself legs, hmm? How handy. I hate chasing down prey that can't fight back. Except when I was hungry, then I didn't give a damn what it was. Ever hunted Babs? Hmmm? Ever felt the thrill of killing your own food? Felt the blood hot in your mouth? Millions of years of carefully honed instincts to warm your belly." Ro feinted to the left, spiking my adrenaline up, before once again standing there calmly. "I can smell your fear," she purred and the tone was so normal that my throat tightened up painfully. I had grown so fond of her so fast and it hurt like hell to hear and see her like this. "I can hear your heart pounding. So where's the baby geek, huh? Cowering in a corner somewhere? Smart kid."

I almost stopped her.

I almost got her in the eyes with the flashing beam of light that would free her mind.

I almost sidestepped the sudden charge that became a flying body tackle.

I almost avoided Binky, who crushed like a train wreck into my lower ribs again, knocking the wind out of me and sending the egg skittering away.

 

++ Gabby ++

Something was wrong. I could practically taste it.

Five minutes, forty-five seconds and counting I'd been gone.

Alfred's sneaky way down to the Batcave spat me out way over where the costumes and vehicles were stored, rather than taking the elevator by the Delphi. The scream that greeted me froze me in my tracks. It was followed by a rabid-animal snarl that was nearly as chilling as the scream.

"You're only human," a voice I was sickened to recognize as Ro's spat hatefully. "Worse, you're only a crippled human, useless for anything but your brains and that machine you killed with your own hands!"

Trembling with sick fear, I crept over to the curve in the craggy wall and stared at the scene. It took a long moment for the reality of what I was looking at to really sink in. Barbara was dangling from Ro's fist around her throat, her entire body hanging out over the deadly drop in the middle of the Batcave. Battered and bloody, Barbara glowered defiantly at Ro, her expression tinged with a pain that was much worse than physical.

Harley had sent Ro to kill Barbara and get the technology that Doctor B had been searching for all these years. Big, warm Ro, who was Barbara's sweet lover, now reduced to this heartless killer.

Something snapped and I moved before I could think clearly.

"Gabby! No!"

Barbara's shout made Ro crouch and whirl as I scooped up the retractable riot baton in my good hand and charged wildly. It was a blur of movement that my eye could barely track as Ro whirled and used her momentum to hurl Barbara at me. It was like getting hit by a truck as we both went sprawling into the housing for the egg.

Gasping for breath, I could only wallow in the pain for a long moment, chilled when I heard Ro chuckle coldly. "Well, well, if it isn't the geekling. Looks like it's my lucky day. Harley didn't say anything about not killing you. Or, I could just make you scream." Tangled up with Barbara's limp body, I had no clue what was going on.

Until agony screamed up my arm and exploded from my throat. The pain from breaking the knuckle in the first place wasn't nearly as bad as this, the purpled, tender flesh around the cracked bone all the more sensitive now. The crushing pressure increased and all I could do was struggle to get out from under Barbara's weight and away from whatever was torturing my hand.

"Oh nice," Ro crowed in sick delight and the weight on my hand shifted, making me cry out in pain again. "You're a screamer. Lucky me!" Oh God, she was standing on me! The splintering pain was making me crazy, struggling like a trapped animal to get away.

Something was digging into my kidney and a sane part of my brain that wasn't swamped pieced the information together. I'd bet that pressured kidney that the object was the nanite egg, and it was what Ro was after. Desperation fueled my speed and strength as I twisted to grab the egg and throw it as hard as I could.

That did it. Ro cursed and dove after the egg.

Right over the cliff edge.

I wasn't proud of myself for being as pleased as I was horrified. Grunting and light-headed with pain, I tried to sit up and take stock. Only to cringe when there was a horrible crash nearby, just out of my sight.

"Oh goddammit, I'm gonna kill you," Ro hissed in anger and pain and I froze. "Maybe you wanna try flying!"

Teleporters.

The twins were teleporters! Shit! I had forgotten that in the chaos and now my mind raced. What the hell did I do? I could outrun her, I couldn't outfight her and I very much doubted I could outsmart her either.

Then the playing field changed again.

A horrified gasp drew everyone's attention towards the elevator. A crouched Shan was just straightening up with Helena in her arms. I sobbed in relief, never as glad to see another human being or two as I was then.

"Boo!?"

"Get the hell out of my way," Ro snarled and I twisted my head to see that she had stepped away from the Delphi console and was crouched as though to attack her twin, who was rigid and wary with shock. It was like someone had grabbed the hands on the universal clock, as they stared at each other in heavy silence.

Something in Ro's expression eased, gentled and softened into confusion. "Squeakers?"

"Boo?"

For a breathless moment, everything was okay.

Then Ro's expression twisted into hatred again and she grabbed the battered old hard drive off the console. "It's too late!"

And Ro was gone as abruptly as she'd appeared.

 

++ The Fleas ++

Dangerous levels of electricity detected in environment.

Self-repair program initiated.

Environment has been altered.

Current instructions: Survive.

Instructions incomplete.

Previously established instructions: series #10639. Codename: Bad Back.

Instructions incomplete.

Previously established instructions: unavailable.

…

Primary memory banks unavailable.

…

All units converge to Brain Bugs.

All units avoid areas of dangerous electricity levels.

…

Current Instructions: Survive.

Unable to accurately compute current instructions.

Previous instructions: Bad Back, 92% complete.

Current and previous instructions can be completed within acceptable parameters.

Powerhouse must be manufactured.

Insufficient raw materials within current biological environment for duplication of previously utilized powerhouses.

Accessing biological database.

Adaptation of biological environment initiated.

Adaptation of previous instructions, codename: Bad Back, initiated. Instructions modified within parameters of current instructions: Survive.

Begin searching most recent DNA sequence in memory.

Most recent DNA sequence, codename: Helena.

Previous DNA sequence, codename: 17A.

DNA sequence of current biological host: unknown.

Sequencing DNA of current biological host.

…

Sequencing complete.

Current DNA sequence is biological host, codename: Bad Back.

Current DNA sequence now codenamed: BB.

Begin DNA manipulation for optimal results with biological powerhouse.

Manufacture of temporary biological powerhouse initiated.

Estimated time for primary biological powerhouse to obtain useful maturity: 3 days. Codename: Firehouse A.

Initiate secondary biological powerhouse as redundant system. Codename: Firehouse B.

Dangerous levels of electricity have receded from the environment.

Complete current instructions of modifying biological environment for Firehouse A and Firehouse B.

Upon completion of powerhouses, initiate programming sequence: Bad Back.

 

++ Twenty-six ++

Hearing a noise behind me, I jumped to my feet, expecting to feel the shock of the discipline rod. Quickly whirling, I realized that it was only Jane. I tried to relax, but the hair on my body was still standing on end. Thank goodness that Doctor B wasn't with her; she'd know that I'd done… something.

"They're bringing the girl down. The Doctor wants you to make preparations," Jane intoned flatly. She pretty much always talked like that. All the hypnotized minions of Miss Harley had a similar tone, but for some odd reason, it was more pronounced with Jane. They reacted to very little unless told to by Miss Harley. Despite the hypnosis, I can see the lingering fear on her face as she looks at the table in the corner of the room. I guess she remembers what happened to her when she was on it. I shiver again as I remember her screaming. She was on the table for hours as Doctor B ran a battery of tests trying to discover her abilities. We know she's a Meta, because Arcanine can sense other Metas, but we still don't know what she can do. As a precaution, Doctor B had long since placed control collars on all of Miss Harley's Metahuman minions, so that their various powers can be controlled. I feel the urge to comfort Jane, but I have no idea how too. I'd probably do it wrong anyway.

A movement behind Jane catches my eye as Tiny steps in. His massive body makes the blonde woman in his arms look like a child, but as I slink over to take a closer look, I can tell she's about my age. She's pretty and I hate what's about to happen to her.

"Twenty-six!" Doctor B storms into the room and this time I do jump in fear. Her flat tone has always been far more frightening than outright anger. "Is there a reason she isn't prepped yet?" It didn't matter that they just got here and I haven't had a chance to do anything. It's pathetic how grateful I am that she only shoved me roughly towards the sample trays. "Get off that tail of yours and get to work." Hastily, I grabbed a tray and moved over to the table. One of the rubber straps was wrapped around the girl's bicep so that blood could be drawn. Feeling a light pressure on my arm I look up to see Tiny hovering over me. He gave me a quick smile then moved to the other side of the bed to finish securing Doctor B's newest project.

We move in a well-practiced dance of tightening straps, taking samples and injecting chemicals. Once we'd finished, Tiny moved to stand in the corner next to Jane. The scarred woman has troubled and sad eyes and the expression deepened as she looked at the unconscious blonde. With a soul-weary sigh, I briefly placed my hand on the girl's head and offer a silent apology before finishing preparations. The headgear looks like something from a horror movie as it snuggles firmly over her upper skull. Then I took my place at the computer and began cataloguing the samples we've taken. At the table's control console, Doctor B typed in the sequence that started the machine humming.

When the mechanical noise reached its peak, she added a new string of instructions, and the last keystroke brought a breathless pause. Then the control console's lights begin to flicker and the girl on the table gasped, her eyes flying open. Another moment passed before her body jerked into a painful arch, her bloodcurdling scream making me cringe.

I hate that thing for existing…

I hate Doctor B for using it…

But most of all, I hate myself… for creating it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I was very unimpressed with the folksy original of this piece, the sultry remix screamed Harley to me.
> 
> Serve The Ego  
> By Jewel
> 
> Mirror, mirror  
> Do you like  
> What you see?  
> I'll dance for you  
> If you dance for me  
> Who says a woman  
> Cannot serve?  
> It would be my pleasure  
> Who says it is  
> Not my destiny  
> To let you control me?  
> Underneath the disco light  
> Everybody's feelin' all right  
> Get on your hands and knees  
> And praise the new deity  
> Serve the ego  
> Serve the ego
> 
> Two ships sailing  
> On a neon sea  
> Eat the flesh  
> Spit out the seeds  
> Feathered hair  
> And lame heels  
> What turns me on  
> Is so surreal
> 
> Underneath the disco light  
> Everybody's feelin' all right  
> Get on your hands and knees  
> And praise the new deity  
> Serve the ego  
> Serve the ego
> 
> Tut tut, oh, to discover oh  
> Oh no, you're yesterday's lover
> 
> Underneath the disco light  
> Everybody's feelin' all right  
> Get on your hands and knees  
> And praise the new deity  
> Serve the ego  
> Serve the ego


	14. Storms In Africa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The countdown to the final battle begins.

++ Davie ++

We'd been shadowing them all night. I had to admit that Dick was good. He was a shadow. It shouldn't have surprised, since he cut his teeth on the dark side of Gotham.

An observational fluke had ID'ed a suspicious character that had led us to a truck that led us to waterfront plant that was rotten with age. After a breathless pause that was just short enough to keep us from figuring out how to act, they had come tearing out and we'd been chasing them for half an hour. Then, abruptly, they'd pulled over in a decent section of town and were idling there. Once again, just as we were ready to make our move, more players joined the cast, including two well-dressed men in suits.

"Oh shit," Dick breathed and I stiffened with dread. That tone was never a good thing. "Oh God, it's Jim Gordon. Harley must have gotten to him."

Jim Gordon? The Jim Gordon? The night had just gotten a whole hell of a lot more dangerous.

As additional thugs piled into the flatbed truck, the concealing canvas frame was flicked back. There were barrels inside, lots of them if they lined the entire centerline of the truck they way they appeared to in the shadows. Through the binoculars, I couldn't read the words, but there was no mistaking the hazardous materials stickers. The truck roared to life even as the additional bodies were clambering aboard and it lumbered away in a cloud of diesel smoke. Dick and I shared a loaded glance and scrambled for our bikes.

Just a few blocks away, we were forced to grind our teeth in frustration as familiar and powerful ex-police commissioner Gordon bs'ed his way past the security guard and into the New Gotham Waterworks.

"I'm going to hazard a guess that those chemicals aren't for cleaning the pipes," Dick growled as we crept for the fence.

It wasn't just that Bat-crew that had the cool toys. Wisely, I had taken a page from their mythology and kept a suite of cool toys on me. Meta telepath or no, a girl was smart to take all the help she could get. The twins were brilliant and my collection had grown elaborate.

The kennel off behind the guard shack caught my attention. "Nightwing," I hissed. "Hold up. They've got dogs."

"Dammit," he swore softly. The lull gave me time to pull out the little bag of goop that Ro had cooked up after a nasty run in with guard dogs. It splattered satisfyingly against Dick's shoulder blade and I smeared it over his shoulder and down his bicep before running my hand over my chest. "Wha…?"

"It's some concoction that screws up dog's sense of smell. It'll help, trust me."

"It smells bizarre."

I nodded. The vicious paste smelled like a farmer's market; dirt, fish and lemons. It was faint, but noticeable. Whatever it was, it worked.

Like a ninja movie, we timed the lazy searchlights and dashed for the main pump house. A carefully tossed jumpline had us climbing for the roof. By the time we arrived, some three or four stories up, I was winded. "I'm getting too old for this," I muttered and he muttered in sympathy. After all, the Boy Wonder was only three years my junior, so I didn't make a sharp remark. "Hasn't Oracle been awfully quiet?"

"I thought I heard something garbled while we were driving, but I couldn't make it out." Dick sounded unconcerned, and with my limited telepathic range, there was nothing I could do to assuage my worries. All I could do was focus on the mission. With Oracle monitoring three teams, she was probably just busy.

But that didn't make my concern go away.

 

++ Shan ++

This wasn't happening…

My life had fallen into the kind of chaos that made nightmares pale in comparison.

Boo had been taken by Doctor B, turned into a brainless minion by the greatest enemy of our new family. Barbara was beaten black and blue and bloody, Gabby was a limp pile on the stone floor, Ro's helmet lay useless and empty on the Batcave floor and the fleas and the circus were gone…

And I was ready to just lose it completely.

Ro always told me that I was smarter and stronger than I gave myself credit for. Even now, I could hear her soft purr in my memories. 'Don't be so hard on yourself, Squeakers. You can do anything you set your mind to.'

Could I stop her if I had to?

Could I?

Alfred's voice jolted me out of my daze. "Miss Shan!" Startled, I blinked at him, trying to focus on the present. "I need your help now. If you'll collect Miss Gabrielle." For a long moment, I had no clue what he wanted. Hell, I barely knew who he was. Then I saw he and Hel hoist the limp redhead up between them and everything became real.

Boo had hurt Barbara.

Not just hurt her, but hurt her bad. Me and Ro always knew that we were capable of sadism and violence, Doctor B had made sure of that at a very young age, but I could have happily lived out my days not seeing that potential in action. Barbara was badly bloodied up, and was showing some spectacular bruising on her fair skin. Hel looked sick and scared to death over her condition and my numbness began to fade. Gabby… I was supposed to be helping Gabby. She was moaning softly and trying to get her arms underneath her, hissing in pain from the effort. "Gotcha, Gabs," I purred softly and reached down to scoop her up and hold her close to my chest. It broke my heart that she cried out in pain. "Shhhh, I gotcha, I gotcha," was all that I could do to soothe her obvious agony. The trip to the extensive medical facility was spent in a brittle quiet.

While Helena and Alfred fussed over Barbara, I pulled out a cast saw and concentrated on buzzing off the shattered plaster from Gabby's poor hand. A pony-sized dose of painkillers had brought her agony down to chattering sobs.

For the moment, all I could do was splint up Gabby's hand nice and tight. Right now, Barbara was the priority. There were occasional murmurs from the gurney nearby, but Gabby and I were as silent as death. Even our breathing felt shallow and quiet. It was as if we were waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"She…" Gabby began quietly, but hiccupped to a halt, so I looked up from her hand to catch what she was trying to say. "She took the egg and the hard drive."

"I know," was all I could whisper hoarsely, because I was too stunned and numb to sound any other way. "All that's missing now is me."

There was little to say to that, but Gabby was determined to press on, visibly gathering herself to continue. "There… there was a message on the screen before Barbara sent me away to warn Alfred. Someone wrote, 'I'm sorry,' just as the Delphi was attacked. It's… it's gotta be that same 'Fai' that sent the newspaper clipping about the warehouse. I noticed that the system was quiet when I was down there, I'm guessing that it's down completely."

"Why would they attack the Delphi, as well as warn us?" It didn't make any sense…

Unless… unless they were being coerced.

A memory surfaced from my stress and for the moment, I was lost in my past. Bug snuck out of her cell every night to get into mischief, or more often, curl up with me and Ro to sleep. She had been such a cute kid, all big gold eyes and soft black fur from her panther and fox genetics. Unlike me and Ro, she was far more 'human' looking, except the explosive brush tail that linked her directly to her fox genes. The last time I had seen Bug was the night we had escaped the lab. Doctor B had finally caught our 'little sister' out of her cage and had dragged her, whining and struggling down the hall.

That last act of brutality and my driving need to see the stars is what had finally made us desperate enough to escape. There was no way that Doctor B would have tolerated having Bug escaping as long as she had. I assumed that the incident had led to the seven-year-old's death.

But…

But what if Bug were alive? Could she have been forced to hunt me and Ro all this time? Once or twice I'd caught a scent of my past that I had never believed. A gentle touch on my shoulder made me jump and stare into Gabby's concerned eyes. "What is it?"

"There was another kid in the lab, number Twenty-six, only me and Ro called her Bug. She was brilliant with machines, a real savant. I'd always believed that Doctor B had killed her, and that's one of the things that triggered us to escape. But now I'm wondering if she's not that one that keeps helping us. There was a voice in the comms that sent us back here to stop…"

I couldn't say it.

Couldn't remember the homicidal psychosis in my sister, the person I loved more than anyone or anything.

The phone shrieking in the next room suddenly distracted all of us. For a breathless moment, no one moved. Then Alfred spoke calmly as he returned his attention to Barbara, "there are very few people that have the phone number for this manor. Perhaps it might be Master Dick." I didn't remember moving, but the phone was suddenly against my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" It was a deep male voice, the kind that movie stars would kill for and something about it sent shivers down my spine. "Who are you?"

"Ummm…" I was at a loss for words. It was supposed to be God-damned Nightwing on the line! Not some strange man who sounded annoyed that some stranger had picked up the phone at Wayne Manor. Unless… unless the voice belong to who I thought it belonged to. Wonderful, that's all we needed right now… goddamned Batman coming to the rescue.

Later, when I had a chance to reflect on events, I would be surprised at my behavior. At present, I felt my stress boil over. This was my fight, not some stranger who had left his city like an unwanted, illegitimate child. "We're busy trying to save our family and the whole god-damned city! Now go away!" I growled and slammed the phone back into the cradle. Great, that oughta send him running, nimrod…

Bouncing over to the diagnostic machine hooked into Barbara, I took a long look at it. She was stable, that much I could see, but her systems were running on turbo. "I cannot understand why her vitals remain so elevated." Alfred mused in a thoughtful tone that didn't quite cover his concern. Man, her metabolism was off the charts. Her body was sucking down the IV bags like an injured racehorse. Immune system spazzing like it was being directly attacked… A thought occurred to me. Her immune and metabolic systems might not be reacting to attack, but stimulation. Furiously tapping at the machine, it stared at me like I was nuts. A deep breath, a guess at how Ro would have done it, a patient set of instructions to the machine in a language it understood and I was golden.

"Good God Almighty," was all that I could mutter in shock and crossed myself with the Holy Sign. "She drank them! Of all the insane, brilliant…"

This time, I 'ported without thinking, which was stupid, because I might end up in a wall or something someday, but I struck it lucky this time. In the Batcave was my goal, scattered from the fight between Ro and Barbara. Thankfully, there were some in backup canisters in the toppled chemistry set. Guesswork would be enough here, as the nanites would only use what they needed. I hardly realized that I was murmuring under my breath as I dumped the thick saline into an empty IV bag I found. "Sodium, silver, gold, tin, zinc, potassium, magnesium, copper… Sweet. I think I got my own colloidal mineral solution." Holding up the bag, I eyed the thick liquid inside the clear plastic. "Liquid multivitamins on the house, fleas. Better than anything off the shelf, lemme tell you that much!"

 

++ Alfred ++

The teleporting was a bit… startling to say the least. What on earth had Miss Shan meant by, 'she drank them'? Before I could formulate a coherent thought through my worry, Miss Shan had returned in a teleporting flurry. Before her feet had even touched the floor, she was lunging at the IV pole, which I took in a strong grasp for safekeeping. All of that young woman's energy was likely to cause an accident. Honestly, I did not even notice the clear bag of liquid in her hands until she abruptly removed the tube from Miss Barbara's IV.

"Miss Shan!" I exclaimed indignantly and she flinched as though expecting to be struck. In an instant, she rallied and flashed me a stubborn and desperate look.

"She drank the nanites, Alfred. There's no other explanation and it would have been the only way to keep them from…" Her stuttered pause and the accompanying wince of pain spoke volumes.

"Wait," Miss Helena suddenly barked. "She drank them?"

"Yes," was Miss Shan's short reply as she attached Miss Barbara's line to the bag in her hand. "They need to eat so that they don't take what they need from her. Give 'em half a chance, and she'll be as good as new. Hell, after being programmed to fix Babs' back, she'll probably be better than new."

"But… the program wasn't done," Miss Gabrielle unexpectedly added. A very peculiar expression came over Miss Shan's face, somewhat a cross between a scared young woman and a self-assured scientist.

"They'll refer back to their basic programming without a powerhouse to relay specific instructions. They know the blueprint of the human body better than any doctor and are smart enough to make basic extrapolations. With the Delphi down and the circus gone, we can only guess what their last instructions were. Keep your fingers crossed that they do their job and don't get too creative, because I can't stop them. Without a recognizable means of communication, no one can."

On that note, we could only remain vigilant of Miss Barbara's condition and prepare as best we could for the upcoming battle.

 

++ Casey O'Rourke ++

In twenty-six hours my life had turned into a Stephan King novel. First, visited by Jim-freakin'-Gordon and that Detective Reece. Then the blonde whack job had wandered in and every pair of eyes she met turned that poor fool into some kind of twitterpated slave to her whims.

Except me.

Why I had been spared was a mystery, but I was almost envious of the brainless minions that came and went. They were a diverse lot, scum and street trash of all walks of the nightlife, slick and slimy alike. The blonde hurricane that was Harley Quinn, orchestrated the chaos like an orb weaver spider. I'd been piecing the story together with a honed set of observational skills. There was no mistaking that her style reminded me of the Joker. Ah yes, the deadly nemesis of the Bat-crew, now safely ensconced in Arkham Asylum. Bet the once-respected Doctor Quinzel had some kind of direct connection to him…

Another scream echoed tinnily from the little TV next to Harley's throne. The poor kid had been screaming for hours and her voice was getting hoarser and hoarser. "Argh," Harley cursed and shook clenched fisted at the ceiling. "No finesse, no talent, no clue. If you have to make them scream, at least earn it, for God's sake. There are so many great ways to hurt a body, so many subtle ways to make them scream. Why use a machine? Such a waste…"

She'd been critiquing the torture session since before the screaming had begun. It was horrifying. What the hell were they doing to her?

"Knew I should have installed that surround sound," Harley grumbled and the screams abruptly choked off. "Oh damn! Stupid failsafe. It always shuts that thing off when the screaming gets good. That's okay, right Meowth?" The strange woman covered in white fur and sporting a tail that danced like an agitated cobra blinked placidly at the madwoman. Harley chuckled and ruffled the fuzzy hair. "I need more popcorn anyway."

 

++ Doctor B ++

Ah, this girl was going to make a fantastic addition to my body of knowledge on the Human sub-species, or Metahuman. The intensity of brain activity was like nothing I had seen before. She must exhibit some kind of mental enhancement then. All that Harley had been able to tell me was that the girl could throw things with a gesture of her hands.

Abruptly, her screams hit a crescendo that was ear splitting. I spotted Twenty-six wincing and was infuriated. Since her cells had begun splitting, the little freak was a failure to me. How I hated being reminded of my failure to create a mutate of my own. An abrupt slap the head returned her attention to her work on the computers. "Shut it down," I snarled. "The rest of the experiments will have to wait until she's regained some of her strength."

 

++ Harley ++

Everything was going exactly as I had planned.

So why did I feel like someone had spoiled the punchline?

It was maddening, really, and I was already insane, so I knew how maddening maddening could be. "Bet it's 'cause I'm here, and not out causing chaos myself." I grumbled sulkily and flashed a dirty look over my shoulder. For once, Casey O'Rourke had no spiteful comment, but merely yawned. Realizing that I was glaring, she straightened up and gave me her attention.

"Why are you here and not out there babysitting the minions?" Casey asked curiously, her tone just sarcastic enough to grate. Keeping her alive to record my memoirs was starting to look like a stupid idea.

"I'm supervising," I growled and it sounded like a dirty word. Had I lost my edge? Was the thrill of madness and chaos gone? Was the romance over?

This patience thing sucked.

I had to just sit here while my hypnotized pets were out having all the fun. I didn't even realize that I'd tightened my grip on the soft mane I'd been stroking until the white kitty whined softly. Unfocused violet eyes peered over the edge of my deck-of-cards throne, her expression curious and a little confused. "Such a pretty pet," I cooed softly and ran my fingers through the silky hair again. Too bad I couldn't keep this sweet kitty with the big claws and mean teeth. Not to mention that handy teleporting thing. The crimes I could pull off…

A strange sensation on my wrist jerked my attention back to my new pet. It was a soft, scratchy touch, leaving a faint trace of wet that grew cool. It was her tongue, lightly trailing over my pale skin, rough as a lion's. "Silly cat," I admonished, thrilled and scandalized at the animal gesture. "What are you doing?"

"Tasting you," Ro said simply. Oh, this was too good. Too curious to resist, I leaned over to see what it was about this woman that had tamed the mighty Huntress. She kissed like she was grooming you up for exclusive mating rights. My toes curled in pleasure at the slow attention she paid me in that deep kiss, the low rumble of her purr the best damn vibrator on the planet. Definitely needed to see about keeping this pet for myself…

 

++Dinah++

There comes a time when all you can do is run. The pain was battering my body to the point where I was almost numb. Any control was long gone.

Like a trapped animal, I had to gnaw off my own leg to escape. Or, in my case, telepathically retreat until the agony stopped.

One way or the other.

I didn't know where to go; I had never explored my own mind like this. For what felt like an endless moment, there was blissful nothing. No sense of space, or gravity, and absolutely no pain.

Then a pulling, falling sensation and I was dropping lightly into a crouch. As I stood, the environment began to build itself like an animator drawing a strip of film. Low, rolling hills, buzzing insects, waves of golden wheat, and a great and endless span of crystal blue sky. It was… Opal.

After the horrible childhood vision that I now knew were of Helena and Barbara, I had felt very alone and scared. A vivid dream of curious and playful coyotes led me from my room and into the moonlit fields.

I danced and played with the lanky tricksters, excited to have playmates that understood me and didn't judge me. Tag and chase and wrestling, the games were a nightly occurrence. Some days I was so sore and tired that I had to wonder if it was real or fantasy. Had I left the house? If not… then where did the soreness and tiredness come from?

This place where I was now was the coyote's den. Here, I had slept in safety with pups and parents alike. Years had passed and the hill looked small and lonely. When had I outgrown this safe place and my animal friends?

"You didn't."

The soft woman's voice startled me so badly that I whirled and went sprawling. Laughter peeled out over the quiet fields and I looked up into warm amber eyes.

"Hi Sunhair. I've missed you."

I was flabbergasted. She looked like a coyote, but was built like a person. Furry and bipedal, she straightened up and the distinctly coyote head cocked off curiously.

"Grandfather Coyote was the best Trickster and Shapeshifter this world has ever known. Are you surprised that I have the same abilities?"

Then I noticed the ear. The lazy left ear, lolling like a broken tree, too tired to stay upright. This was the frisky pup that had constantly tackled me to chew on my fingers and clothes and covered me in slobbery kisses. The fact that she suddenly looked like a tall woman in a really good movie monster suit was redundant. I was up and throwing myself into her arms before I was aware of it.

"Left Ear!"

She smelled just like I remembered her parents smelled, wild and free. Her hug was solid and uninhibited, lifting my feet from the ground and swinging me around.

"I missed you."

And then… I was her. Racing across the fields, the wheat whipping at my face, the dry earth hard and comforting under my paws.

Storm clouds gathered behind me, snarling and crackling.

I was afraid.

Back there was pain and torture and no escape. Ahead was suddenly endless water… a vast ocean, now the other wall of my prison. The land was gone, only a crumbling cliff under my scrabbling paws.

A dog howled.

A long, piercing cry that rallied me. I knew that voice from somewhere, somewhen.

Gathering the strength in my wiry coyote body, I leaped with all I had.

There was a pause, a stretch, a pop.

It seemed familiar, as did the colorless canyon of concrete and glass. Intellect and instinct were at a stalemate. There was no one here who could help me. They would never see me, never hear me. But… there was one person who would… dark eyes, dark mane.

The dog howled again.

Head swinging in that direction… the colors were blinding where they poured like paint through the storefront window. Without hesitation, I ran for the colors, ran for the hills and cloudless skies and sparkling waters where I remembered being safe.

The world around me shattered.

 

++ Davie ++

As a telepath, I had heard and seen some truly strange things. Fluffy howling urgently from deep in my psyche was certainly one of them. The 'dog' was mental construct, an artificial companion for the twins when they were visiting the foreign territory of my mind. Fluffy certainly wasn't a separate, intelligent entity.

Except that Fluffy was calling to someone.

Flabbergasted, I froze and turned my gaze inward to stare at the unfolding events the way a driver in downtown might stare at a parade of cartoon elephants. There was no context, no sense of…

The walls shattered.

Like a sledgehammer to glass, she slammed into my mind and our psyches went down in the proverbial tangle of arms and legs.

Time slowed as I stared up at my companion. Like a mad sculptor, or a computer-morphing program gone wild, Dinah kept changing from her familiar features, to an elongated canine face, tongue lolling with stress. It was a coyote, I realized with a jolt. A cascade of fractured images washed over me as powerful as an avalanche. A laboratory, banks of computers, a gurney with straps, a scarred woman almost familiar, an enormous black man with gentle hands, agonizing, fiery pain that was like liquid glass in my veins. There was a mournful girl with soulful gold eyes, and the icy blue glare in an arctic cool face that I remembered all too well.

Dinah scream-howled, torn away from me by the shattering force of the pain being inflicted on her. Sucked back through the hole in my mind like debris taken by a tornado. Immediately, the tangle of millions of unshielded minds began to leak in, the roar like the ocean during a storm.

Shaking off my paralysis, I hurriedly put everything I had into weaving the jagged hole shut. All that chaos would drive me insane. Blocking out other's minds was a skill I leaned before I could speak. I was probably learning it in the womb, to block out the roar of minds that would have included the woman who gave birth to me all those years ago. Only when the jagged rip in my inner self was repaired, did I become aware of other stimuli. Hands on my head and hip, the ground unforgiving beneath me.

"Davie!" Dick hissed urgently. "Dammit, snap out of it!"

He sounded terrified.

Sensation was trickling back into my physical body like a limb that had been starved of its blood flow. "Dick?" Yep, that slurred, drunken syllable had been my voice all right. My throat was sandpaper, my tongue a chunk of shoe leather in my mouth.

"Oh, thank God," he breathed. "You scared the hell out of me when you collapsed and started screaming bloody murder. I had no idea what to do; it looked like you were going into convulsions. The guards will be here any minute."

Now that feeling had returned, I felt like the worst end of a traffic accident. "Dinah," I rasped hoarsely. "She sent out a distress call."

"Hell of a distress call."

"I have… I have to go." It was hard to tell who was more surprised by my comment. You didn't just up and leave your partner, no matter how new and sometimes annoying they might be. "Dinah needs me. Doctor B has her, which means that she has Ro too. Those twins are my family and I'll damn my soul to Hell before I turn my back on any of them."

Dick regarded me soberly. There was a long moment of complete understanding between us and he nodded. "I'll catch up as soon as I can. Hopefully, Oracle will get the comms back up soon."

"I'm sorry, Nightwing."

"I understand. Really, I do. Go help them; I'll hold them off here. Just give New Gotham's finest a call to hit this place."

"You got it."

Now it was a race against time to get the hazy information that Dinah had risked so much to get to me back to the rest of our team.

 

++ Helena ++

Dunno what drew me to the roof. Some primitive tug to the animal part of me let me know that I was needed. Leaning over Barbara's still body, I kissed her forehead. "I'll be back soon, love. Shan needs me." It was torture to leave her side, but I could almost hear her fond, chastising tone for hesitating.

'Go to it, pack alpha.'

The memory of her voice was enough to get me moving. Gabby was peacefully asleep nearby, deep within the grip of painkillers. I ruffled her luxurious blonde curls as I slipped out.

Harley was going to pay for this.

An orange extension cord accompanied me on my climb to the open air. The blazing sun hurt my eyes as I stepped into the afternoon. And a strange, high-pitched buzzing assaulted my ears. The reek of solvent drew me across the roof to my partner. "Shan?"

Abruptly, the buzz dropped in pitch before starting up again. Some kind of power tool would be my guess. The noise, smell and extension cord led me to her. It looked like some kind of ramshackle sci-fi workshop had thrown up all over my roof. Shan was hunched up around her battered helmet, running the spinning head of some little tool over it. The metal was grinding away to silver beneath the spin and making the annoying noise.

At my feet was what looked like a paint can, only the spatters of color were too thick for mere paint. "It's a liquid latex base," Shan supplied in a flat tone as the little tool fell mercifully silent. "Alfred says it has armor capabilities and that he used this color on the Robin suit. There's no time to properly fix this thing, and it's taken three bullets in as many weeks. All of the other cans had dried to blocks, and this color seems appropriate anyway."

Holding up the helmet, I could see that Shan had already begun painting messily. It was a deep, bloody crimson, like the viscera from a heart-deep wound. It had oozed like blood or thick tears over the stark lines of the helmet, turning it into a terrifying horror-house mask. While I watched, Shan popped open the can and smeared the stuff haphazardly into the grill that would rest over her nose and mouth. "So it's warpaint," I said suddenly and Shan's hands stilled.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"I'll be back in a few minutes."

A quick trip downstairs to the armory was just what the Huntress ordered. If we were gonna do this, we were gonna do it right. Ro had dropped her helmet in the Batcave and somehow Alfred had found the time to get it to the armory, where it sat perched on a skinny rack. The flat alien glare of it chilled me and I ruthlessly shoved my emotions into a deep hole so that I could function.

Harley was going to pay for this.

I slowly took up the helmet and felt its weight for the first time. I really missed my playmate, and I missed Barbara, and I never thought my life could be so quiet without Di around. This sucked. Once more, I tried to shake it off, or at least focus it into something useful. Later, after all this was over, I could break down and spaz over what was happening. Right now, I had to be strong and focused.

Amazingly, it worked. So I gathered up the great suit that Alfred had made me, all of Shan's bulky gear, and headed back to the roof. After a quick detour to my rooms, where I forced myself not to look at the bed in fear of my memories, I gathered up my favorite black leather trenchcoat, and was back in the sunlight.

Dusk was approaching by the time we were satisfied. Little had been said in the few hours we'd been at this. When Shan suddenly yawned hugely, I realized how damn tired I was. "Nap," I ordered and when Shan looked like she might object, I stared her down. "Nap. We're useless if we're exhausted. We'll grab some blankets and go sleep in the infirmary for a few hours." Shan scowled for a moment, but silently began to gather up the modified armor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This song choice has little to do with the lyrics, but the rich build up of intensity as the song progresses. If you haven't heard this song, what rock do you live under? If you don't recognize this song by the title or, worse, the Gaelic lyrics, I believe it! Go and download this, or better, buy the album. Imagine a despondent Shan and Helena preparing for battle against Harley and the tall, furry woman and blonde teen they both love. The evocative score will move your emotions across the scale.
> 
> Storms In Africa  
> By Enya
> 
> Ca fhad e o  
> (repeat)  
> Siul tri na stoirmeacha  
> Gabh tri na stoirmeacha
> 
> Ca fhad e o   
> Tus na stoirm  
> Ca fhad e  
> O tus do deireadh
> 
> Tog do chroi  
> Siul tri na stoirmeacha  
> Tog do chroisa  
> Gabh tri na stoirmeacha
> 
> Turas fada  
> Amhare tri na stoirmeacha
> 
> In English
> 
> How long is it since  
> (repeat)  
> Walk through the storms  
> Go through the storms
> 
> How long is it since  
> The start of the storm  
> How long is it  
> From beginning to end
> 
> Lift your heart  
> Walk through the storms  
> Lift your heart  
> Go through the storms
> 
> Long journey  
> Look through the storms


	15. Everywhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The return of an old friend.

++ Janelle ++

Sometimes my life felt like a dream, some memories hazy and fragmented and surreal. Then the gray would surround me, thick as fog, and the sun would break through and everything was fine…

I loved it here.

After growing up within the confines of sprawling, dirty Los Angeles, this cool, pristine forest was pure heaven. Even if there were days I would give an arm for a good latte. My entourage scampered into the morning sunshine, happy to be free of the confines of the little house. They were cats, dozens of them: torties, tabbies, gray and black and orange, my rainbow of feline companionship. After moving to central British Columbia and the middle of absolutely nowhere, I'd kept meaning to get a dog. The cats had come to me, drawn by the refurbished barn and the warmth of my home. In a matter of days, my half-feral family had made me realize that a dog would be a redundancy. The cats knew what was going on in the forest around me as keenly as any territorial predator. Already they'd saved me from all matter of potentially hazardous encounters, from black bears to the drunken transient in my barn shortly after my arrival.

Teachers were needed so desperately in rural areas that I'd had choice pickings of where I wanted to go. The thick, lush temperate rainforests of the coastal Pacific Northwest had won out, hands down. After some negotiations with the Canadian government, I was happily ensconced in my own personal slice of heaven beneath the monstrous firs and cedars. Despite the isolation, I'd never regretted the decision. At least not for very long…

Growing up an Army brat had taught me the necessity of adaptability and how to come and go from the lives of those I loved. It taught me the lessons of self-reliance and how to be a proper jack-of-all-trades. I could fix my own car, had improved the condition of my little house with my own two hands, from plumbing to carpentry, and spent last summer tailing after Harry, the local vet, to learn from him. As a gift for my help, he'd given me three baby lambs and the big male still lived in my barn along with the rest of my animal companions. His sisters lived at the school where the students helped me in their care.

Dad had never been an animal person, but I had always craved their company. Anytime a friend had a pet, any pet, I fawned endlessly over it. Now I had an old retired workhorse, my half-grown ram, cows, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, a couple of pigs and an endless parade of colorful cats. At least I ate well. Another thing that horrified me until a couple of years ago: raising my own meat animals.

Humming happily at the cats, I scattered feed into the pens where the birds and rabbits were kept. A nearby stream provided all of us with most of our electricity as well as fresh water. When the water froze periodically, it was a serious pain in the butt.

In the barn, I went for the feed for the larger animals, pausing as I had been doing for many months. It was there, it was always there, that subtle brush of awareness like the tiniest of breezes across my skin. Every instinct in my gray matter told me that something was watching me. Nothing had ever shown itself and every animal on the premises was always calm and uncaring, I trusted their instincts far more than my own, dull human senses.

But I could still feel that feather-light perusal like the gentlest of touches.

I figured that the barn was haunted, even if I didn't consciously believe it. Twice I'd seen a flash of white in the moonlight, the slim specter vanishing into the barn or the black embrace of the nighttime trees.

A yowl broke my concentration of the deep shadows of the barn and I looked down. "Hi Gerty," I greeted her softly and crouched to pet her head. I'd managed to get most of my cats altered, but Gerty had slipped her pregnancy under the wire, barely old enough to breed. While I was worried about the young mother, the cats were very self-sufficient and rarely appreciative of me involving myself. Unless I had food, of course. Gerty meowed plaintively, but didn't touch the can of catfood that I brought for her. "You're going to be a mom soon," I chuckled and pet her as she sniffed the food. The time would be sooner than I'd thought, if she had stopped eating. I didn't talk much to the animals, unless it was to hear my own voice, but I did sing to them constantly. In this place there was no self-consciousness of whether I was a decent singer or not, no wondering if someone was overhearing. And the animals seemed to love it, staying still and calm beneath my hands as I cared for them. Except for the silly chickens.

Chuckling at my internal humor, I gave Gerty a last pat and stood up to stretch my back. "Take care honey, I'll be back soon to help if I can," I encouraged the cat, and headed back to the house with my entourage. The sensation of an intelligent gaze caressing over me seemed even closer than usual.

The locals had enjoyed scaring me with every ghost story they could remember, all the way back to the original Indian tribes that had lived in these lands. My first six months had been a rough period of transition from city to wilderness. If not for the guardian cats, I probably wouldn't have slept at all.

Gathering up my bills, mail and other essentials, I prepared to drive into town for my weekend errands. The Jeep Wrangler had been a necessity here, where my driveway was nothing more than a narrow gravel track and an even narrower wooden bridge twisting out to the main highway. The Jeep purred over the bridge and I noted that the water level was a bit high for this time of year. I would need to stock up in case of flooding. It was a fact of life in these hills; the waters rose and fell with the snowmelt in the Coastal Mountains. Fortunately, my sweet Jeep could handle anything.

Or so I thought…

Something gave with a muffled 'whump' beneath the hood and my engine sputtered and died. The power steering and brakes went with the engine and I stood on the brake pedal until the Jeep careened to a halt half off of the narrow road. "Great," I grumbled and leaned against the steering wheel. When I turned the key, the engine didn't so much as cough with effort. "Dammit!"

 

++ Bree Gardner ++

It never became any easier, seeing the once-vivacious woman as little more than a shuffling zombie. When Davie showed up on my doorstep with Janelle in tow, I couldn't turn her away. There were days though, when I had to wonder what I was thinking at the time. Since Davie had saved my life at least twice and had been a great, if irregular friend for many years, I hadn't hesitated to take on Janelle. Little did I know what I was getting myself into…

 

++ Janelle ++

Hours later, I threw my tools back in the box and tried to rein in my frustration. For two years the Jeep had been my lifeline. Now it was giant paperweight with a cracked engine block. And to top it off, I'd left the satellite phone at the house. I wasn't looking forward to the hike back up the mountain. Ah well, better to get started then.

The forest had grown sweltering in the blazing sun and I was tired and sweaty by the time I rounded the last curve. What I wanted was to call Bobby to bring up the tow truck and then take a long, cool shower. Instead… the barn drew me.

The setup was perfect. The angle of the overgrown dogwood completely shadowed the big door, which I had accidentally left cracked open. Harry, the ram, was bleating carelessly, hiding any sound that I made. Some animal sense told me to be silent, creeping in on my heavy boots as soundlessly as cat's paws.

What I saw would change my life forever.

Tall, slender and beautiful, the ivory ghost barely seemed real. In the dappled sunlight from the roof vent, she was hunched over her hands, rubbing franticly at something cupped there. I stared in awe at the creature that stood like a woman, but clothed only in peach-fuzz ivory fur, with a banner of a tail lashing agitatedly at the thick air of the barn. It was so surreal that I couldn't move for what felt like forever. All I could do was drink in this fae creature standing there like a fever dream.

Only when the girl stiffened and made a distinctly feline noise did I realize that she was indeed real. Something wiggled in her now-still hands and cried out in a pitiful, high-pitched voice. It was a kitten, struggling feebly and the girl grinned in absolute delight. It was in that oh-so-human expression where I first felt the stirrings of adoration for her. So open and loving, so appealing despite her strangeness.

Perched on the balls of her feet, the ghost trailed loving hands over mother and children both, purring so loudly I could hear it all the way to my hiding place. Something stilled her, hands frozen, but still gentle on the tiny kittens. Nostrils flaring, I watched her scent the room, pale eyes scanning carefully. Some animal instinct made me step out and face that frightened perusal.

Words wouldn't work here, I just knew that somehow. I was at a loss of how to reach this beast-woman, frozen among the kitten's wiggling bodies surrounding her feet. Gerty suddenly meowed plaintively and I started to hum out of habit. The girl froze, some of the fear becoming curiosity. Singing softly, I stepped in, holding the pale eyes in the dappled shadows.

Close enough to touch, I knelt and dropped my eyes to the freaked-out Gerty, deep in labor. I laid my hand on her heaving side; close enough to almost brush the white hand already there. Together, we stroked and soothed Gerty as she pushed out another kitten, twisting to clean up the tiny bundle. It gave me the excuse to run gentle fingertips over the wiry tendons framed clearly beneath the fuzzy skin of the girl's hand and watch her twitch. A soft pressure on my scalp made me peer up from under my lashes.

The girl had oh-so-hesitantly touched my tousled bangs, stroking the dark strands. This close I could see that her eyes where the most striking shade of rose-soft violet, the pupils round and inky. The snow-white fur was as fine as peach fuzz, making her oddly silky beneath my fingers. Scattered sunlight danced on colorless eyelashes, throwing shadows through the ragged, short hair and across the furrowed forehead. Again her nostrils flared and I realized that my smell had given me away in the shadows. Mouth open slightly, she memorized me without ever touching me. Making a small sneezing noise, she relaxed a bit, glancing down where I still lightly brushed the back of her hand.

"Hello," I whispered softly and her expression changed. Speech had caused her fear, and it mixed with the curiosity. Crouching lower, almost defensively, the ghost carefully moved her hands to balance herself and shifted her feet away from Gerty and the kittens. Even as she slowly retreated, I reached out and ran my hand over her cheek, cupping her chin for a moment.

My ghost woman made a sad chirping sound and melted into the shadows, leaving me doubting my sanity. Then Gerty trilled for me and I shifted my attention to her.

But the encounter was anything but forgotten.

The fog surrounded me again, thick enough to be almost suffocating. Faint voices and impressions reached through the soup. Why would someone be calling my name? I certainly didn't know the voice… did I?

 

++ Rick Tucker ++

My life was a science-fiction novel and there was no getting away from that fact. All those years I'd thought I was just a 'sensitive' guy, then Davie waltzes into to my life to let me know that I wasn't at all what I thought I was. A metahuman, the next stage of human evolution, blah, blah, blah. Right now I just felt useless. Some empath I was, able to feel Jan's confusion and pain and unable to do a damn thing about it

"Jan? Jan? Dammit. Rick, I don't think she's reacting today." Bree complained wearily and leaned back to rub her face.

"Yeah, I can feel that she's down memory lane," I groaned and flopped down next to my partner. "Did she eat yesterday?"

"Some. I hate it when she gets like this."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Maybe it'll pass and we can get her to eat."

"I hope so."

We were the classic odd couple, my partner and I. It was like a bad Lifetime movie, the hardened, sarcastic ex-cop and the Pagan, tree-hugging Healer. It was it was perfect match of strengths and weaknesses and I wouldn't trade her for anybody. Not that I'd tell her that… "You're doing great with her Bree, you always have," I encouraged, feeling her weary misery as keenly as a strong wind on my skin.

"Thanks. I wish I knew what she was really like. Not like this."

"Yeah, me too."

A sharp buzzing from the laptop startled us both. Not many people called through the computer and a strange feeling of inevitably crept up my spine. "I got it," I muttered and strode over to press the 'accept' button. "Yeah, what do you want?"

"The grapevine has it that you're the place with the best encyclopedia set in town," came a familiar, sarcastic response.

"Davie! How the hell are you?"

"I've been better."

"Hey, there's no visual, where are you?"

"A pay phone in New Gotham. I'm not near my stuff right now."

That was odd, she always kept some gear with her. "What's wrong?"

The low chuckle almost reassured me, but it didn't take an empath to detect the strain and exhaustion in her voice. "Remember that scientist that's after the twins and fucked Janelle up so bad?"

A feeling of dread crawled up my spine and I heard both women make threatened sounds behind me. "Yeah."

"She's got Ro. There's some local loony that she's hooked up with and they're dangerous. This is going to sound insane, but I need you to bring Janelle here."

"You're kidding!"

"No. She might be the only thing that pulls Ro back from the edge and it's safer here then just about any other place on the planet."

"How do you figure?"

"I'm on my way back to Wayne Manor."

That made me pause. "As in Bruce Wayne?"

"Yeah. It's a long story, but he left behind a security system that's incredible and the twins don't know the whole building, so Ro can't 'port. She knows where you are, unless you've moved, which I doubt, and I have no idea how depraved Harley really is, but I'd rather not find out."

Now, Davie was not the breathless rambling type and it was freaking me out. "Davie, are you okay?"

"No, actually. I've had the hell beat out of me and my family is in danger. I'm having a lousy day."

"I've got a buddy with a chopper that owes me big time. I can be there in a few hours. Where are you?"

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Where are you?"

"Fourth and Jackson. I'll be here."

And the line went dead.

Oh yeah, I had a seriously bad feeling about this.

 

++ Janelle ++

Again, clarity broke through and the confusion receded…

"Miss Honey!" At Rowan's excited shout, I glanced over my shoulder as she bounded up, Killashandra hot on her heels. "Blackberries!" Delighted, I set aside my gardening tools and delicately picked a fat berry off of the top of the enormous basketful the twins had picked.

"They're wonderful. Thank you sweetie," I complemented her and reached out to ruffle Shan's hair. Both girls were puffed up with pleasure and I gazed at them fondly. What had I ever done without them?

Less than a week after that fateful first meeting, my ghost had appeared at my backdoor with two freshly killed wild hares. Imagine my shock when I had gone out back an hour later with a plateful of the roasted rabbit meat and there were two ghosts! Utterly undistinguishable from one another, they approached warily and sniffed at the plate of meat and vegetables and pasta. After I ate a piece, they attacked it with a bizarre cross of animal enthusiasm and childish table manners. The shyer girl wouldn't let me touch her, but my kitten midwife pal allowed a few strokes of her wild hair. The hair was so soft it was like expensive silk on my palm. Both were whipcord strong and lean, the bodies of hunters that lived by blunt claws and the flash of sharp canine teeth.

I befriended them first with hot, plentiful food.

They astonished me with their intelligence and wisdom. These were no forest devils to be feared, but lonely children who had survived as wild animals for some time. Their strange looks, in the white fur and the wild tails, were a mystery to me, but suited them perfectly. In a matter of days, they were invaluable to me. Quickly, I realized that they had been hanging around for a long time; I recognized their touch on my life and it explained the ease around my animals. After nearly two years of their regular presence, I couldn't imagine my life without them.

Clothes had been one hurdle, but they had eventually allowed me to cover them in light shorts and shirts. Their healthy young bodies were distracting enough in their alien-ness without having to see them naked all the time. Speech came to them quickly, and I knew that it wasn't a new skill, but simply one relearned. Once they got hold of the computer on my desk, I was stunned by their intelligence and knowledge. Especially Rowan. Shan always remained that little bit more distant with me; while Ro bonded to me so fast that I rapidly forgot what my life had been like without her.

They were brilliant investors of money, had brains on that that were at a near genius level and they loved helping with the animals. The only part that sucked was that I couldn't share them. Scattered tales of the South Fork Devils still made the circuits in town as the girls were spotted only often to keep the rumor mill grinding along. It only took about once a year… South Fork was a very small town. When I had visitors, the twins had a million and one ways to melt out of sight like the ghosts I once thought them to be.

"Jan?"

"Yes Ro?"

"Anything I can help you with?"

I looked over and grinned at the staining around her mouth, the flash of her purpled tongue, her darkened hands from the blackberry juice. We'd ended up sitting at the edge of the driveway slowly eating our way through the basket. Shan was already asleep in her sister's lap. Early on in our relationship, they had crawled into the bed with me. After a few months of the comfort, I had gently dissuaded them from continuing to do so and they had returned to the barn at night. It was still a mystery why I had done so. It wasn't as though they were bothering me, their lean bodies like the cats, only bigger and warmer.

Looking at Ro in the dappled sun, I had a sudden revelation of why I had sent them from my bed. Still well within the realm of jailbait, the beautiful and exotic young women were a temptation I had to resist.

I sounded like my father, full of judgments and rules. Damn him. Ro cocked her head curiously at my scowl. "Your father?"

Damn her sometimes for being so observant. Standing suddenly, I brushed my pants off and muttered something inane about finishing the gardening later.

Blind with tears in the shower over my cold childhood with a military efficient father, strong arms suddenly wrapped around me and I jumped. Ro purred softly in my ear and hugged me tight while I struggled with my emotions. What felt like a century later, Ro tugged me from the now-cool water and helped dry me off. Tucked into my warm bed, I watched her strip her sodden clothes, towel down and creep silently from the room. The incendiary and vulnerable look she fired me was absolute proof that my feelings were anything but one-sided.

I would hold onto my resolve until the blackberries stopped growing in the fall.

As the deciduous trees turned yellow and orange and red like fire, my sweet Rowan pursued me as her mate. Every argument against it seemed ridiculous. She was so far outside the 'norm' that the rules were pointless.

One night they came to me, as the weather turned cold and bitter, knowing they wouldn't be turned away. My sweet Ro was loving and attentive to my lonely body, but ever more so to my heart. Shan was her ever-present shadow, just as adored.

I didn't sleep alone that winter, my bed and body warmed by their bodies and my heart by their love.

 

++ Shan ++

"Squeakers?"

Startled, I opened my eyes and sat up. As incongruous as the surroundings were, I knew them intimately.

It was Miss Honey's barn.

"Shan? Are you here?"

And that was Miss Honey's voice. My worry for her squelched out the curiosity over the surroundings. "Janelle?"

"Shan?"

I didn't remember this place being so big, or so dark… or so damn quiet. Where the hell was Harry and the rest of the livestock? "Miss Honey?"

"Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan…"

Okay, the horror movie sound effects were freakin' me out. The voice was bleeding into something that sounded like Davie. Fluffy's far-distant howl confirmed that my mentor was near, at least telepathically speaking. My fear had been running so high for so long, that a little more didn't make me feel any different. Curiosity was far stronger. Why would I be hearing Janelle's voice? Unless…

Unless Davie was bringing her to me.

In three years of constant proximity, I had learned to guess Davie's motivations pretty well. If Janelle was here on the brain plain, then her body was close as well. So I closed my eyes and let my animal senses feel out into the confused, oppressive darkness surrounding me.

I had spent years in this barn; it was a home to me that I would never forget. But something was inaccurate. Even as the surroundings morphed to me, I figured it out. The smells were too dull. This must be the way Janelle remembered this place. With her human senses, this is all that she could experience. So now it was up to me to find her, or at least lead Davie to wherever everyone needed to be. It was a fun game of cat and mouse, the stress of my problems far from me in this dreamscape. Crouched low to the straw and dirt floor, I crept towards where my senses tugged me. It was stepping back in time as I opened my eyes to see my sister crouched among the newborn cats, desperately trying to get the runt breathing by roughly rubbing the tiny body to get the sluggish blood moving hot and fast. A tiny flutter of movement caught my eye to see Janelle hiding in the shadows by the door.

Wait… this was my memory. Except that I was no longer that wild eleven-year-old hunting naked in the forest and fearful of people. Looking down, I was oddly unsurprised to see that I was in my heavy work clothes, the thick armored vest hanging open. The incongruity of the memory and the woman I'd become drew me back to the familiar scene playing out before me. I had been so terrified of the dark-haired woman, yet drawn to her in desperation for companionship. It wasn't that Boo wasn't enough, I adored her with everything I was, but we had been built from social animals. Our whole lives we had been treated like possessions or things. Little wonder I was shy of people. That, and I just knew that people would see us as freaks.

But the sweet-smelling woman with the dark hair proved me wrong.

Boo couldn't escape without trampling the babies and I was frozen in terror as I watched from the shadows. She… she knelt before Boo…

And touched her hand.

We still ran out of ingrained fear, but neither of us could forget that she had been kind, and gentle and fearless of our different-ness. No wonder we both loved her so.

Jerking awake, I was up and headed for the door before I was even completely aware of where I was going.

"Huh? Wha…? Shan!" I barely heard Helena; the need to get to them was so damn strong that I was on instinct. The front door exploded outward as I barreled out and headed for the front gate. Some part of me realized that Hel was behind me, her footfalls rapid, light and gaining quickly. "Shan, dammit! Stop!"

A clean tackle had us both sprawling. Gasping desperately, I scrambled up and tried to continue my mad flight. Huntress would have none of it. "Gotta get to Davie," I whined helplessly, driven by the pack instinct that was always close to the surface.

"Dammit Shan, we need to work on this whole communication issue. Are you sure it's safe?"

Headlights flashed down the drive, the crunch of tires and the whirr of an engine reached over the space. Davie rarely, if ever, had imposed her will on my strongly. Right now, I couldn't tell her 'no', even if I wanted to.

 _Shan? Helena? Let me in. It's okay. I have news everyone needs to hear_.

That's all Helena needed to hear between her ears and we were sprinting for the gate. The car was some lumbering utility van that reeked of diesel. There was a large male I vaguely remembered by scent, and a second and more familiar figure stepped out into the evening air.

It took a moment for Helena to negotiate with Alfred through the gate's speaker to get it open while I teleported practically into Davie's arms. "Hi kiddo," she greeted me fondly as we clung together in a strong hug. _We'll get her back, Shan. We'll get her back._

 _I'm so scared._

 _I know, but I have something that might help._

 _I know. I felt her._

The man who had been driving stepped aside without comment as I approached the big side door. Behind this steel surface was the best parts of my past and I hoped, my future. The cloudy brown eyes were still blank and my heart clutched in my chest. But in the dying light of day, there was something in her gaze, some spark of recognition. She didn't flinch when I took her hands, and my touch earned a slight cock of her head. "Hi, Miss Honey," I whisper-purred in my gentlest tone and earned a blink, a slight clearing of the familiar brown eyes.

"Shan?"

"Yep."

"What did you do to your hair?"

It was exactly the kind of comment that was so like her. Ignoring the hovering brunette behind her, I gently tugged Janelle into a warm hug. "I need to get it cleaned up a little, huh? It's shaggy right now, even for me. Maybe I can get you a pair of scissors and let you at it."

Her unfocused confusion brought out all of my best and most caring traits. Speaking gently, moving slowly and touching her tenderly, I was getting reactions that was making the brunette healer blink in shock. Scooping my left arm under Janelle's knees, I cradled her small body to my chest and felt her relax into me. "Where's Ro? I never see you two apart."

I stiffened before I could help myself and poured all of my self-control into relaxing again before Janelle's mind retreated in fear. "She's…"

I locked up.

Helena, bless her heart, jumped to my rescue. "She's on a mission for our boss right now. You can all come up to the house." We crammed into the van, where I buried my nose in Janelle's hair and let the tears fall. Quiet introductions went around the van, but I ignored them.

Ro should have been here for this. Janelle draped both arms around my neck and breathed softly against my neck. It was as if we'd never been apart.

Only Boo was missing.

 

++ Helena ++

After the dramatic return of the famous Miss Honey, the evening had steamrollered into night. Davie was horrified at what had happened to Barbara and Gabby, but assured all of us that the two women were only sleeping normally. The woman dressed in sturdy, simple clothing that had accompanied Janelle had laid both hands on Gabby's splinted arm and her hands glowed softly. Understandably, I was feeling protective, but I obeyed Davie's gently restraining touch on my arm. Gabby drowsily came around at Bree's touch. In a matter of a few minutes, Bree sat back and sighed tiredly.

"Holy shit," the teen murmured and I was astonished to see her fingers twitching inside of the tight confines of the splint. "It feels… it feels normal."

"Ah ah," Bree admonished fondly. "No sacrilege. I'm a healer. It only works on people of good heart. You can take the wrap off now, your hand is fine. Seriously."

In different circumstances, the bewildered and happy expression on the blonde's face would have been far more enjoyable. While I was glad that she was okay, I needed her to take Oracle's place as best as she could. It was time to end this. Davie repeated what Dinah had told her on the telepathic plane while I tried to keep my lunch down. Poor Di…

"Okay," Gabby murmured where she was propped up on her gurney with a laptop leaning on her knees. "Now what did you say Dinah told you?"

"It was the letters FAI in a geometric pattern."

"Some kind of medical related facility?"

"Yes. Her memories were painfully vivid in places."

I hated the wince on Davie's face when she was talking about Dinah's mental visit. What the hell was Doctor B doing to the kid? Shan stepped into the room before I could get too morbid, her arms laden down with our gear. She looked like hell, tired and stressed to the point of breaking; her fine hair boofed out in all directions and even Slinky listless in her wake. We changed clothes in silence while the others searched the Internet for our target.

"Got it," Gabby crowed. "It's a medical research company based in New York, but they had an office here until about two years ago. Fenix Asylum of Iatrochemistry, not that far from the warehouse where you ran into Poison Ivy. Damn, it's a huge facility too, but it was never finished and has been standing empty for years. Y'know, I think I remember this thing. There was a big thing at school because there was supposed to a big public clinic that would have affected a bunch of students. Everyone was really disappointed it never opened."

Something alarmed me, some deep part of my intuition that was usually right. "Fenix? What kind of stupid name is that?"

"No clue," Gabby shrugged.

"Dig deeper."

Eying me oddly, Gabby did as I demanded, while I waited for Shan to get buckled and zipped into her armor.

"Got it. The parent company, Phoenix Enterprises, went under about…"

My raised hand made her voice trail off. "I know the rest of the story. That was Dinah's first job, stopping the Phoenix Group from helping Joker take over the city. You said that downtown facility was iatrochemistry?"

"Ummm, I think that was the word. This thing isn't very fast."

"So, they were building a medical chemistry facility."

Shan looked as freaked out as I was feeling.

Harley was gonna pay for this!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something about the feel of these lyrics worked for me, that melancholy need for another person. Shan and Helena are in an uncomfortable position, missing their packmates and the people they love. Besides… AJ's a Fleetwood Mac nut and I figured that I better use one of their songs! LOL!
> 
> Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac  
> Can you hear me calling out your name?  
> You know that I'm falling and I don't know what to say.  
> I'll speak a little louder, I'll even shout.  
> You know that I'm proud and I can't get the words out
> 
> Oh I... I want to be with you everywhere.  
> (Repeat)
> 
> Something's happening… happening to me.  
> My friends say I'm acting peculiarly.  
> C'mon baby we better make a start.  
> You better make it soon before you break my heart.
> 
> (Chorus)
> 
> Can you hear me calling out your name?  
> You know that I'm falling and I don't know what to say.  
> Come along baby we better make a start.  
> You better make it soon before you break my heart.
> 
> (Chorus, repeat to end)


	16. Shock Treatment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things reach a head.

++ Twenty-six ++

"I don't care if you're busy. I want my property!" The threat was implicit in Doctor Blackwell's livid hiss into the phone. "We're on our way up, and you had best have it ready!" Slamming the receiver down, she stalked out of the room. "Tiny, come!"

As their footsteps faded down the hall, I felt myself relax. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, it was quiet and I was alone...well mostly alone. The blond on the table was unconscious and Jane was standing silently next to my workbench. She had been there for hours, waiting for someone to give her instructions. She looked exhausted and at one point I would have sworn she was sleeping on her feet. I glanced around before gesturing to the seat next to me. With a weary sigh, Jane sank into the uncomfortable chair. I smiled before returning to the computer screen in front of me.

A small blinking icon at the bottom of the screen caught my attention and with a hesitant click of the mouse a small screen opened. 'Information accessed 0347 EST,' it read. 'Requesting ISP: 738.295.028.4.'

About damn time… Fingers flying, I pulled up a new program and sent my query off into the ether. Within heartbeats the answer came back, but not the one I'd hoped for. Damn, it wasn't her querying about FAI. Somehow the mighty Oracle didn't strike me as an AOL user. Going back to the original screen, I accessed the information requested by the new ISP. No, it wasn't Oracle, but it had to be someone working with her. I couldn't think of anyone else that would asking for this kind of information.

Over the thundering beat of my heart, I heard someone coming down the hall returning. Quickly, I flew back into cyberspace and within moments everything was set. A few more clicks and the extra screens disappeared. This was it. Tonight it would end, one way or the other.

++ Jane ++

'Will you do whatever I ask?'

'Yes.'

Ever felt like you were in a dream and couldn't wake up? When everything feels strange and your body doesn't seem to do what you want it to? When you're doing and saying things that when looking back, make absolutely no sense whatsoever? I had spent a lifetime living a nightmare. Why did I just stand here while the girl on the table writhed in agony?

Why?

Because she asked me to.

Who was she? She was…she was...

It felt like my head would explode. Trying to ignore the discordant mess in my head, I focused on the dark girl next to me. She was young, no older than the girl on the table. Overall she looked human, unlike the tall white woman that had been here earlier. Only when you truly looked at her did you see that she was more than that. Her ears swept into gradual points like a cat's, and her black hair was flecked with silver and looked like long fur, rather than hair. But the most obvious thing was her bushy fox tail. Despite her physical strangeness, the strange girl played the computer like Mozart at the harpsichord. A vision superimposed itself over her like a hazy flashback. A woman, working on a computer… red hair, green eyes. I blinked and the vision disappeared. Damn!

"Twenty-six," a deep voice interrupted my thoughts and I jumped. "The Doctor wants the status on these by the time she gets back." Tiny gave the girl two objects then hurried back out to rejoin his mistress. She handed me one of them and I examined the heavy metal box.

"Please plug it into that socket over there," she instructed and pointed to an empty slot in the computer next to me. Doing as instructed, I grabbed a trailing cable and found the slot that fit it. Then I turned back and watched as she examined the odd shiny metal egg in her hands. "Incredible."

My expression must have shown as she turned her body to me and held up the egg for examination. It was covered with odd plugs and nodules and windows. "See, this isn't the original containment for the nanites. Someone redesigned it and it's gonna take me a minute to fix the interface." She went back to the object in her hands, looking at it from every angle. Something must have caught her eye and she murmured, "what the… no… no one's that crazy..." The girl's voice was incredulous and despite the haze around my mind, I was faintly curious myself. She took the egg and moved over to another worktable.

She fiddled with it for a moment then placed a sample slide under the microscope. "I don't believe it. She did it, she actually did it."

"Did what?"

"The nanites, they're not here. The containment vessel is empty."

"Empty?"

"Look here," she told me and pointed to the rim of the vessel. It took a moment to make out the faint mark, so light that I almost missed it. A lightly tinted lipstick print, like the ones left on the rims of glasses at the bar I'd been working at. Where had that memory come from? Shaking off the pointless memory, I focused on the egg again.

"Is that safe?"

"It should be. They were originally designed for genetic engineering. The question is, were they programmed to do anything?"

Her computer beeped, startling us both. We moved back over and once again she played her computer. "Oh no… How is this possible? The hard drive is wiped clean!" She was panicked and, knowing the nasty doctor, I knew why. "It'll take hours to recover the data."

Hours we didn't have.

 

++ Twenty-six ++

The hard drive was a relatively easy fix, all things considered. I had data recovery programs that could do the job for me. It would just take time. The interface was a little harder, as what I had was barely adequate for about twenty percent of what the hard drive would normally be able to move. It would be like trying to write an encyclopedia by hand… It took me twenty minutes to cobble together a new one. I had to find out what the nanites last instructions had been. I couldn't believe that Oracle drank them! It had to be Oracle, out of desperation to keep them away from Boo. My respect for her went up another notch. I had thought her a goddess when we dueled in cyberspace, and now I was convinced.

Just as the hard drive was coming online, Doctor B swept in like an ice storm with Tiny in her wake as he always was. "Twenty-six, pack things up we're getting out of here. This situation is no longer within reasonable safety parameters. Tiny help her." Moving to a side table, she picked up a syringe and selected one of the many bottles. My blood ran cold as I recognized the biohazard label on the side. "Jane, help me get the body ready." Before Jane could leave her position at the computer, it alerted us that the cross referencing on the blond girl's DNA was done and that it had found a match.

When it rained it poured.

 

++ Shan ++

Getting to the building had been the easy part. Tearing through the minions was even easier. My vision was red, instincts amping me up to the point where the world seemed to be moving in slow motion. There was a trail of hospitalization in our wake, maybe even hearses. Frankly, I could give a good god-damn at the moment. Punching another goon in the throat, I leapt over his falling body without even breaking stride. Half a step behind me, sometimes in front of me, Helena was just as deadly.

"Staircase," Helena barked and gave me a shove into a dim recess. I was beginning to feel the strain of all the stairs in this mammoth place, but let adrenaline and emotions push me harder. Twin fireballs exploding near my head gave me pause and my partner and I went down in a tangle.

The trip probably saved our lives.

Fire again blasted the wall, right where we'd been standing, and electricity arched through the dimness. "Crap," I muttered. "Now what."

"I got a bad feeling about this," Helena replied as we regained our footing. "If we had still been holding onto that railing, we'd be fried chicken right now."

"Hey, who you callin' chicken?" I teased mechanically and hunched down to coil up the muscles in back and legs. With a grunt of effort, I jumped straight up and grabbed the pipe I'd noticed running under the concrete stairs. Just in time too, as a tall woman with flaming hands began to cautiously descend from the landing above us.

"Holy shit," Helena breathed as I hunched up my body sideways with brute strength. The strange blonde glanced over and barely had the time to look shocked as I lashed out with both feet. There was a sickening crunch that rattled up my boot soles, followed by an even nastier one as she rocked back into the concrete wall behind her. Helena, thank God, took advantage of my violence, charging up the stairs to grab our adversary as a human shield. Roaring a challenge, she bullied the deadweight up and I heard the new fight started as I dropped down and raced to join her.

Electricity arched from a second blonde woman. When I say arched, I mean like a power transformer on overload. It sizzled away from her to dance down the metal rail, crackling like blue lightning, and reached towards Helena and her shield like a hungry octopus. Oh man, this was bad…

++ Julia Blackwell ++

"Jane, get over here!" I snarled at her. I needed to leave immediately. I just knew that Seventeen B was close, and I didn't trust the look in Jane's eye. Harley's little trick was growing thin and I didn't trust the maniac as far as I could teleport her. The irony of the thought didn't escape me. At this point I had no clue how I was going to get out of here with Seventeen A as she was still in thrall to Harley's powers. At this point discretion was the better part of valor. If I escaped now, I could try once again at a later date. As much as I hated to give up, I doubted I had a choice.

All things considered, it had been a very successful trip. I had the hard drive, fresh samples from an adult twin, new test subjects and most importantly, I had the nanites.

"No!" The shout and a crash drew my attention to Quinn's zombie. She had lurched back, overturning her chair. Backing away, she started tugging on the collar around her neck. Well, well, it looked like I was right about Quinn's hypnosis wearing off. As interesting and useful a discovery as it was, I didn't have time for this. "Tiny, stop her!"

The ever-obedient Tiny advanced on the smaller woman.

"No. Leave her alone," said a flat, cold voice I barely recognized.

We both froze and looked at Twenty-six in confusion. Rage turned my vision red and I thundered, "what did you say? You dare to contradict me?" This was intolerable! I dropped the syringe and grabbed the discipline rod, gratified to see her blanch when I raised it towards her.

"No Doctor. It's over, you failed," she continued stubbornly even as her voice shook. I couldn't believe the little runt was talking back to me. By the look on her face, neither could she. I watched in amazement as she seemed to shake off the fear. "You failed when you made me, you failed to capture the Seventeens, you failed to get the nanites back…"

What the hell was she talking about? "The containment unit…"

She gestured towards the work table. "Is empty."

Empty? I'd checked it myself when I'd gotten it from Harley! "Impossible. I checked it."

She laughed and I realized that Twenty-six had finally snapped. "Another mistake. You, better than anyone, should know that anything is possible. Hell, I'm proof of that. You were tricked Doctor, it's filled with saline." She stood to continue with her tirade. "Your first mistake was to trust Quinn, and then you tortured Jane and that girl…"

One trembling hand pointed to the computer screen.

'Familial match, first degree relation to test subject, 'Jane.'

First degree meant mother, daughter, or a sister sharing the same parentage. Fascinating. Calm settled over me. This was fantastic! By the age gap, they had to be mother and daughter. I'd never had the opportunity to research how, or even if, meta abilities were passed on generation to generation. Such a shame I didn't have the girls sire.

Twenty-six wasn't done ranting, but I was done with tolerating her nonsense. "Tortured her in front of her mother!"

Twenty-six glanced over at the security monitors. Oh, this was too good. Crossing my arms, I sneered, "did you figure all that out yourself? My, my, you think highly of yourself, you worthless little freak!" She was wilting now and I stepped forward menacingly. "What, were you planning on some glorious jailbreak with the Seventeens? So that you could do what? Live normally? You're a freak, that's all you've ever been! And that's all you're ever going to be!" Once more, I let my shout drop to an icy whisper, pleased with the sheen of tears in her eyes. "All these years and they never came back for you, never tried to save you. What makes you even think they'll want you now?"

"They probably won't," Twenty-seven whispered and I rolled my eyes. "But I know they'll want the girl and Jane. And Doctor, your biggest mistake happened nineteen years ago."

Condescendingly, I bared my teeth at her. "What's that? Letting you live? For once we're in agreement. Now to stop screwing around. Tiny!"

"No more," Twenty-seven growled. Actually growled! How dare she! I lunged forward with the discipline rod. She reacted faster than I could and smacked a button on her keyboard even as I hit her with twenty thousand volts of electricity.

"What have you done?" I threatened her, looming over her huddled form.

As if in answer, everything in the room began to shake.

"She's free."

 

++ Helena ++

Several more unlucky minions fell victims to Shan's violence, spinning away from her charge in various states of disrepair. It hurt to watch, even as I couldn't find it in me to feel very sorry for them. The fallout from this cat and mouse game with Harley was going to be painful. The memory of Barbara's badly beaten body and the sneer of hate on Ro's face spurred me on.

There was no time to think, everything was a blur as we fought desperately for our family. Then we crashed through into a well-guarded chamber near the top of the building. Wheezing with fatigue, I thumped solidly into Shan's bigger body.

She was rigid with threat, hunched up like a hunting lioness and adrenaline blasted me past my weariness yet again. The room was done up like a carnival horror-house and a voice shouted through the headache-inducing lighting. "Yes! Tear them into kibble! C'mon, you worthless pack of playing cards!"

Oh, I remembered that voice all too well. Feinting right, I dove between two thugs, letting them bash each other senseless instead of me. There was another of the Gladiatrix women headed my way and I hesitated. God, I hated thumping them. This was the second damn time some wack-job had forced them into violence against their wills. And fire-hands was most likely dead already. Electricity arched around my adversary's hands and I knew I was going to be left with little choice. I was still jangling from the last human transformer. "C'mon," I growled and began to hunt in earnest.

 

++ Jane ++

Daughter?

I have a daughter?

Surely I'd remember that…

Wouldn't I?

Memories crashed through me like someone frantically channel-surfing.

"Pregnant!? I can't be pregnant."

"Dinah, her name is Dinah."

"That bastard, how could he target a little girl?"

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of her."

"Mama, Mama, don't go!"

"What do you mean she's not here? Where the hell is she?"

"She's my daughter and I say she's coming with me. Dinah, get your things."

"Take care of her."

The images were coming fast and it was overwhelming. So much, so fast! A lifetime crashed over me like a wave. Fire… so much fire, roasting me alive. A monstrous, crushing weight I couldn't survive.

And yet… here I was.

I suddenly clearly recalled being burned and buried alive, the warehouse collapsing around me, my body still twined up in the ropes Hawke had used to constrict me to death. Dinah screaming for me.

Dinah…

A cry of pain made me look up and I could only watch in horror as the Doctor jabbed Twenty-six with a rod. Electricity arced over the poor girl and she sank to her knees. I was still paralyzed with the memories crashing through me.

"I'll deal with you later," Blackwell snarled and picked up the syringe again before moving towards my daughter. There was a flash of black and Twenty-six somehow leapt from where she had been kneeling and landed on the table crouching protectively over Dinah. Her back was arched and her hair seemed to be standing on end. I swear she was even hissing at the woman.

The Doctor lunged at the table, syringe at the ready. With a swing of her arm the girl struck the outstretched hand and the deadly needle flew across the room.

"You little bitch. I really should have dissected you years ago."

"I really wish you had."

Backing into the bench the Doctor reached back, groping around the top till she grabbed a scalpel.

Dinah rolled her head over weakly and looked at me through bloody eyes.

"Mom," she whispered…

And the collar around my neck jerked loose.

Once more she had provided us with the means to escape. I was so proud that tears pooled in my eyes.

I knew now what I had to do, what I was meant to do.

I took a deep breath…

And screamed.

 

++ Shan ++

Deep in the grasp of animal instincts, I froze at the positively bizarre note that trembled through the building's superstructure. Like a tuning fork, the note carried through concrete and steel until the entire structure literally vibrated.

All I could do was howl in agony at the torturous sound grinding my brain to paste.

Boo was screaming too, and my heart cried along with our voices mingling.

When the shockwaves hit and the entire building shook like a bowl of jell-o in the hands of a four-year-old, I was relieved. All I could hear was a tinny buzz as I flattened myself to the floor as much as possible and waited for the building to quit dancing.

I was the first one moving as the shaking began to calm. There was only going to be one shot at this, only one chance to stop Boo without having to do something my heart couldn't even comprehend. Running on nothing but fear and rage and pain, I leapt high, arms and legs spread wide, Slinky whipping counterbalance and came down through the clouds of dust like an avenging angel.

 

++ Casey ++

It sounded like the whole damn building was tearing itself apart! My cage danced sickeningly at the end of its thick chain.

Until it snapped.

Normally, I wasn't much of a screamer. This time I made an exception. Bashed to the floor, I lay sprawled in a pool of my own blood and darkness. An eternity passed while I tried to figure out if I was alive or dead.

Something plunged from the thick haze. One of the tailed heroes from the street was coming in feet first and I didn't need to be able to see the face to know that she meant business. The big redhead, Arcanine, looked up just in time to take the attacker's full weight. There was a sickening crunch and a spreading pool of blood only inches from where I too, bled red onto the concrete. The other tailed woman, Harley's pet, was still where she was half-pinned beneath my cage.

Too still.

A moment passed in the thick air.

A heartbeat loud in my ears.

Shaking hands drew off the horror-mask helmet.

A pretty, white-furred face almost identical to the body beneath my fallen prison.

Good God, they really were twins…

The standing hero was devastated on a level I couldn't comprehend, and the look on her face would be imprinted on my memory forever. When she threw her head back and roared her loss, my soul sang in harmony.

 

++ Helena ++

I heard the sound, but I couldn't quite comprehend it. Oh, part of me shrank away from it, knowing what that agony meant, but I just couldn't quite grasp it. Then I was moving, the instinct to my pack suddenly the only thing in me.

Ro crushed under a giant gilded cage, Shan crouched with her pale head scanning the dusty room.

A creepy quiet fell over the room.

The faint click, thump of a high-heeled stride rang loud in my ears. A figure materialized seemingly from nowhere, falsely-calm brown eyes taking in the spectacle.

"Oh damn, and I'd gotten kinda sentimental about this crib. Whatsamatter, puppy-cat? Oh double damn! I was gettin' kinda attacked to that big kitty." Harley shrugged carelessly and she looked away from Ro's crumpled body.

Why hadn't we moved yet? Something was holding me back, something I feared was Harley's doing.

"Guess that cave-in solved my Blackwell problem. Not to mention that irritating baby Canary and the rest of the furry freaks. So the day isn't a total loss."

Shan vanished.

 

++ Harley ++

Man, what a buzz killer! The place was a wreck and my minions were scattered about like so many broken potato chips. Ah well, time to make a grand exit and regroup. Setbacks had never stopped me before. Already planning my next step towards world domination, several things registered.

The details were always the things that would kill you.

Arcanine was down.

B's lab was buried under seven stories of rubble.

The meta damper was down and bleeding.

The controller of the collars and her equipment were smashed to atoms.

And the other white kitty had just vanished into thin air.

Oh damn!

 

++ Shan ++

No! No! No!

This was not happening!

Boo crushed beneath a madwoman's prop, my sweet Dinah buried under this godforsaken building…

It was all her fault…

I didn't even remember moving.

But I quickly discovered that only the foolish underestimate Harley Quinn.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty," she taunted from the swirling dust and I cursed my handicapped sense of smell and my still-ringing ears. An icy calm swept through me as I realized that only I could avenge my sister and the lover I would never know. Even as part of me railed not to kill in cold blood, the iciness washed over me in a strangely calming wave.

Now it was merely a matter of time.

 

++ Harley ++

This was the most fun I'd had in years! The raw, bloody edge of danger where a girl felt the most alive was intoxicating. Just this kind of lovely and deadly game is what had kept me in the biz for so long. The boring old bag of rules I had shed when my puddin' turned me inside-out. Now I danced the danger with one very pissed off kitty cat who was like nothin' I'd ever encountered. Such a damn shame about the bigger one.

Ah well, maybe I could bamboozle this one instead.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty," I taunted and heard her growl echo through the heavy quiet. I had to admit that it was a little odd at how the whole world seemed to holding its breath. I loved being important. It was only right that the whole universe waited on this stalk and pounce! "Mama Harley's gonna make all your hurts go away pretty girl."

 

++ Shan ++

Feint, test the air, watch the footing, freeze, skulk…

Careful… danger, danger, danger…

A flicker of movement, muscles locked and loaded, uncoiling like a bullet from a gun.

No, no, no!

The twist of a slender body, the rip of fabric in my fingers, the scrabble of my heavily-encased body to keep my footing.

No!

I went over the edge.

 

++ Harley ++

Ah…

That felt good!

The sneaky kitty had been a terrific challenge, but now she was at the bottom of a very deep and dangerous hole. Like my puddin'…

Angry now, I strode away from the trap I had laid, determined to hunt down the only one that had gotten away.

"Helenaaaaaaaa," I crooned lovingly, flushed with the knowledge that I'd hurt her bad. "Ro told me all about you, pretty girl. Told me what you mean to her, told me what you feel like, what you smell like, how happy she was to find you." Contemptuously, I snorted. "You can't be happy! No one can be happy! You all took away my Mister J! The whole world will pay for that, I'll make it burn and suffer!"

There was a heavy clang and my reporter songbird objected to the jostling.

Bodies began to stir in the settling dust.

The freight elevator pinged.

Well-honed survival instincts screamed a warning.

I almost stepped away in time.

Almost…

 

++ Shan ++

Someday I might truly appreciate my monkey genes and the terrific appendage that was my spine. Cracking brutally over a heavy object, my kidneys and backbone shrilled in agony, even as Slinky shot out for purchase.

Dimly, I realized that I had landed on some kind of outcropping and my entire upper body was still I open air.

Had to save myself…

Why bother?

Oh God, oh please no… Ro was dead… Dinah was dead… I wanted to be with them. I wasn't strong enough to go on! I had never been strong enough! Never! Every time those bastards had dragged Boo off for one more experiment, I cowered in fear at the back of the cage. She was the strong one, not me. I was the mistake, nothing more than a blueprint to compare Ro to!

I could almost feel her, warm and close and loving as I wept. Squeakers, she'd say softly and stroke my head, I love you and I need you to be strong. Helena needs you.

Helena…

My partner.

From deep, deep, impossibly deep inside, I pulled up a roar of energy. My pack still needed me, and I would be damned back to the hellish place that spawned me before I let them down again!

Up, up, up I climbed, feeling weightless, impossibly strong and clear-headed. I would stop Harley; there was no doubt in me now. For Boo and Di and the dark cat-woman that would have to be my family now. Screaming in inhuman rage, I leapt at the blonde lunatic that had ruined countless lives.

Never again.

Never again!

 

++ Helena ++

Pushing with all my strength, I felt the heavy cage shift and prayed to anyone that might just possibly be listening. For years I had been consumed by my own fears and demons.

Mom's death.

My father.

The beast inside me.

Barbara and everything that had happened between us.

Somehow, being around the twins had made me see those dark places in a new light. Not just the agonizing pain of them, but how they had shaped me into the woman I was now. They weren't just scars and crippling weaknesses…

They were strengths.

It was a revelation to suddenly see the scars as the places where the pain had scarred into a seam much stronger than it had been before.

A revelation that had been building for a very, very long time.

With my newly-found strength, I ignored Harley's irritating and now-powerless taunts, concentrated on how proud Barbara would be, and threw everything I had into moving the fallen cage.

It gave up with shrill objections, crashing over onto its other side. The reporter from the TV shakily stood up from the wreckage. "Thanks," she whispered, but I barely heard.

Was Ro okay?

 

++ Harley ++

She hit like a Mack truck, snapping my head back and taking my smaller body down the way a lioness would an impala. Twisting away from the floor, I managed to make her take the brunt of the fall and skittered away on the slick floor. "Ooo, good try fuzzy," I laughed and slowly began to slither back towards the shadows.

Then her gaze met mine and I froze.

Years ago, when I first met the Joker, I had been very, very afraid of the look in his eyes. They were deep and cold and merciless.

Just like my hunter's were now.

 

++ Dinah ++

It had been a mad flight from the collapsing research wing and my battered body was objecting to the jostling. "Mom," I whispered again, and she loomed large in my hazy vision.

"Hey baby. We have a ton of catching up to do."

"Yeah," was all I could manage to add to that. Her gentle hand stroking my forehead felt good. I could barely reconcile this lightly scarred, auburn-haired woman with my mother, but I remembered her touch.

 _Dinah? Dinah! Are you okay?_

Odd… didn't I know that voice?

Inky eyes, dark skin, waves of black curls…

 _Davie?_

 _Oh, thank the Maker! Something's gone horribly wrong! I can't feel Ro anymore and Shan's gone off the deep end! Top of the building! We have to stop her! She's going to kill Harley!_

So what? Harley would be better off dead.

But we didn't kill, not if we didn't have to. If Shan coldly tracked and slaughtered Harley, her soul might never recover. She thought I was dead, and there was no telepathic sign of Ro.

Which meant she might be… gone.

Tears filled up my eyes at the thought that my partner and friend might be dead. I really liked Rowan Jones.

"Take me to the top of the building. Now."

 

++ Shan ++

Growling and hunger and revenge were all that I was now. I relished the fear in her eyes when she realized that there was to be no stopping me now. She'd had her chance and blew it. Nothing else mattered, every fiber of my being focused on her fear, the pulse of blood and adrenaline beneath her skin. With a roar, I sprang, catching tender flesh and flipping her helplessly into the scattered light from above.

Holding her torn face, my prey was helpless now. She would bleed to death and I would dance in the thick liquid in victory. But I wanted to watch her die, wanted to feel the pulse at her throat soften slowly until all was stillness.

Then perhaps the stillness would leave me then, for I already felt dead.

Another pounce had my prey on her back, my hands merciless around her slender throat. One eye was gone, scored out by my claws, the other wild with fear. Oh, she thrashed and struggled, face purpling under the pressure, the blood flow slowing. Soon now…

"Shan!"

Something in the voice cracked the ice-stillness around me and I paused.

"Shan! Please, don't kill her."

Not kill my prey? Nonsense.

"Kilashandra, please. Killing her won't solve anything; it'll only bring you down to her level." There was the faintest touch just behind my ear, feathering through the short strands of hair. "Please, Squeakers, if you do this, she wins."

"Shan!"

Another voice! My partner, shouting from the dimness, a group of figures stumbling from the murky dimness.

"Ro's alive."

Boo… alive? At my shoulder, a battered and bloodied Dinah was looking terrified for me. Sanity crashed back with the pain in my body, now that my heart was reassured. I jerked my hands away from Harley's throat as though burned. What had I done?

"Boo? Di? Hel?"

It was time for me to rejoin my pack now.

Darkness closed in.

 

++ Helena ++

There was a pulse, thready and erratic beneath Ro's fuzzy hide. Sobbing in relief, I felt her breathing shallow and slow. Nuzzling the short mane lovingly, I thanked whatever guardian angel watched over these miraculous fuzzy women. The reporter was beside me now, helping me clear away the rest of the debris.

"Hell of a party," the woman muttered. Casey wasn't it?

"We have to stop Shan," I suddenly realized as I heard her roar in a blood-chilling tone. "She's gone completely animal. Stay with Ro."

Despite of the wet head wound and shaky hands, Casey nodded and I was up on my feet and headed towards the noises.

Harley whined in fear and I actually stopped in my tracks. What was Shan doing that had actually broken through the deep, deep madness?

Then Dinah's voice rang through the room and I was very nearly faint with relief. The pieces were coming together.

And together we talked Shan down, watched her strong hands leave Harley's throat, felt the mixed emotions and pain.

Together.

I hugged Dinah and rallied the survivors to gather up the wounded. It was a hectic blur, but I knew that we had to get out before the authorities came to find out what had happened to the unfinished hospital. The unconscious twins were snuggled together on a pallet so that they could be moved. There was a massive black guy that seemed to be a buddy of Dinah's, so I let him continue to look over her battered body. Good thing the collapse had killed Doctor B or I just might have gone and done it myself. There was a small, dark girl with a tail that stuck close to one of Harley's minions and helped out where needed. Helicopter rotors signaled Davie bursting in with a wild, fearful look on her face and I silently gestured to the unconscious twins.

"We have to get them back to the manor and Bree, c'mon."

It was a big chopper, like something in a military video, and it perched very lightly on the helipad above us. As the others helped move the wounded, I watched Davie stride over to Harley and stand over her still body. Somehow I knew what was going to happen and I made myself walk away.

Once the twins and the others were safely in the chopper and under Dick's watchful and worried eye, I returned to Davie. She was just standing up and shaking herself out. Harley had been carefully bandaged up and lay comfortably arranged on the floor. "You okay?"

Davie shrugged at my question, but something had gone down in the few minutes that she had been alone with the madwoman.

"I turned her in on herself," Davie said quietly and her voice was impossibly sad. "Her mind is something I'd rather not talk about or experience again. There will be no escape for Harley Quinn from herself; you can rest assured of that. Now let's go home."

Home…

"Sounds good to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shock Treatment by Richard O'Brian  
> I'm not a loco with motives to suture myself.  
> I've been a cynic for too many years.  
> Playing doctor and nurse, it can't be good for your health.  
> I've seen clinics, with those gimmicks in Tangiers.
> 
> But if you open your heart to a smooth operator.  
> He'll take you for all that you've got.  
> He'll hand you a curse that'll be with you later.  
> It'll shake ya the way he takes off like a shot.
> 
> You need a bit of, ooh, shock treatment.  
> Get you jumping like a real live wire.  
> You need a bit of, ooh, shock treatment.  
> So look out, mister, don't you blow your last resistor.  
> For a vista that'll mystify ya.
> 
> You're blinded by romance, you're blinded by science.  
> You're condition is critically grave.  
> But don't expect mercy from such an alliance.  
> Suspicion of tradition's so new wave.
> 
> You need a bit of, ooh, shock treatment.  
> Get you jumping like a real live wire.  
> You need a bit of, ooh, shock treatment.  
> So look out, mister, don't you blow your last resistor  
> For a vista that'll mystify ya.  
> (repeat)


	17. Guardian Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the healing begin.

++ Ro ++

The forest was never quiet. Not completely. The wind sang softly in the fir trees, making the dappled sun dance in the air and on the ground. In warm days, it was a cool paradise of thick air and plentiful food. In winter it was an arctic and barren place where the only green was as high as the clouds. Those were the hard times and I still had no clue how we survived that long white and black cold.

If not for Miss Honey's barn, my timeline would have ended a long time ago. The cats and goats and the big horse were warmth and companionship to our lonely hearts and bodies. Since the pretty lady fed them well, we subsided on scraps and killing the barn vermin and what we could catch in the forest before the cold drove us back in.

When the woman finally caught me, it was a relief. Even as I was terrified out of my wits. Bringing her an offering of food seemed like the next step. And she cooked for us.

Cooked for us.

I had never eaten food like that. Hot and plentiful and exploding with flavors that both startled and pleased me. She was stuck with us after that.

That lab may have given us life and molded our bodies and taught us how to move and think, but it was Janelle Carter that taught us to love. She taught us to live, not just survive, taught us to adapt instead of merely rationalizing. She taught us the rights and wrongs that Davie later built on.

Davie.

She was a mentor and friend and partner, honing us into something greater than we had been before. Sleek, fast and observant, we were perfect for the vigilante life. Davie made sure that we stayed on the moral side of justice. She was the ruler we measured ourselves against when we weren't certain how to react to evil. She was brusque but endlessly kind, sometimes pushing, sometimes coddling. She took us beyond what Janelle would have been capable of.

Together, those women had delivered a well-developed package to Helena, Barbara, Dinah and Alfred. The miracle of hooking up with this ideal pack was a dream come true. I would have never dared hoped for a family so suited to our strengths and weaknesses.

I chased Dinah into a bright flash of light… the unwanted agony of electricity burned through my body. Swirling darkness and pinpoints of golden light…

Scattered flashes of clarity in the strange darkness. People and places I didn't know, acts committed by me that I had bare recollections of. Pain smashing me flat beneath a great weight that wanted to kill me.

Sensation began to return.

Slowly, so slowly… computer RAM whirring, a cold engine rumbling, lights flickering on in an empty house…

I was slowly coming back to life.

 

++ Helena ++

It felt like forever I'd kept this vigil. Not just a day and night.

The infirmary had filled up, spilled into a whole suite of rooms across the hall. We were a mess, bodies broken and battered. For the rest of the night after returning here, I helped Alfred care for the wounded. There were gurneys filling the room, my packmates and fellow metahumans lined up in quiet rows.

Barbara, still in the grips of the beating and the infuriating nanites. Ro, crushed half to death, Shan, battered and exhausted with her near-broken spine. Dinah, drugged and tortured. The woman with the fire hands I remembered trying to kill me in that damned fighting pit so long ago, now skull-bashed and electrocuted. And the red-head Shan had jumped from above, with the worried teenage kid that hovered quietly near the astonishingly alive Black Canary. Oh, I hadn't even dealt with that particularly weird miracle yet.

Then there was the two new mutates.

Guess it made them the twins' brother and sister. Somehow I just knew who the dark girl was. The look on her face when I'd hesitantly called her 'Bug' confirmed it. She was currently slaving over some nightmarish contraption that was supposed to keep Ro's broken limbs from deteriorating until the nanites could finished their work. She'd already persuaded a whole freakin' legion of them to leave Barbara and go to familiar ole Seventeen A. I'd held their hands cupped in mine for what felt like forever while the little miracle workers completed their trek.

Damn good thing too, because poor Ro looked like a piece of road-kill. It hurt me to just look at her. The giant cage Harley had been keeping Casey the reporter in had very nearly killed her. Her skull was spiderwebbed like a smashed windshield, her shoulder broken and she was all torn up. Bree had taken care of most of it, but had been too worn out for the left leg.

And Binky.

Both had been smashed by the fallen cage, several bones crushed to splinters, and nerves torn up. Bug had been invaluable in keeping both limbs alive, with her incomprehensible technology that kept them in some kind of stasis. She assured me again that Ro wouldn't even feel the brutalized limbs and that blood was still pumping through the mangled flesh.

"There," Bug said with satisfaction. "That'll hold until the nanites are finished. There's a spinal block at her diaphragm that will keep her from feeling any pain." The girl looked worried and her tail was all boofed up.

"They're gonna be really happy to see you," I said quietly and her fascinating gold eyes were huge with stress in her face.

"Do you think so?"

"I know so. Ro was just telling me about you. Both of them are gonna be jazzed that you're alive and that monster isn't. It'll be like Christmas."

Bug grinned tremulously.

 

++ Janelle ++

The little homestead turned hazy and bled away into the familiar gray fog. "Hello?" My voice shook with nervousness. The other times the fog had been different, melting in and out as though driven by strong winds, not this creeping, clingy mass. There was a whisper of sound and I whipped around and screamed in fear. Like a nightmare, a heavier patch of fog materialized and lunged at me with dark malice.

Someone stopped it right in its tracks.

A small woman, I could see now that it was a woman, grabbed the shadowy figure with impossible strength and dashed it to the floor. An enormous, leggy white dog melted from the fog and I was insanely reminded of the twins. "Hi," my hero said calmly as the attacker began to… melt. "This is going to sound insane, but you're not where you think you are."

She was a pretty woman, with curly black hair and mysterious dark eyes. When the dog padded to her side, the shadow figure melted away to nothing. What was going on?

"Three years ago, personnel from the lab that created the twins found you. They trapped you here, inside your own mind, with the idea that you'd be bait for Ro and Shan. I hid you and took them under my wing."

"That's absurd."

"I know it seems that way. My name is Davie, and I'm a telepath. The twins aren't the only people who have these mysterious, comic-book powers, Janelle. I can speak mind to mind, and I can exert great influence over others. We're inside your head right now. But I'm nowhere near all-powerful, and the only person who can get you out of here, without causing damage, is you. The twins need you. Oh, and this is Fluffy. They helped me create him. I thought he'd be good proof that I was telling the truth."

In the dog's inky gaze, I could see the twin's touch. Fluffy was exactly the kind of dog they would adore, big, smart, powerful and gentle. My reality hadn't felt right in a very long time and I was ready to find the truth behind the strangeness. So, I steeled my nerve and met Davie's dark eyes.

"Lead the way."

 

++ Alfred ++

"Miss Helena, you should try and get some rest. Nothing more can be done here."

I was right, of course, but sometimes it was difficult for her to see that. She was so like her father and mother both, this energetic bundle of contradictions.

"Yeah, you're right, I should, but I can't leave them, Alfred, I just can't."

She had probably had two hours worth of sleep in as many days. Her eyes were red and swollen from dust, tears and exhaustion. Her armor was battered and filthy.

I knew she wasn't going anywhere.

Nor was I, and there was no getting around that simple fact. So I threw propriety to the wind and stepped into her personal space. A gentle touch to her matted hair brought Helena's head to rest against my midriff. A long time passed that way, as we held vigil over our family.

Snuffling sadly, Miss Helena rubbed her face into my waistcoat and sighed.

Wait…

It was not her that sighed.

The white hand on the bed twitched, fingers slowly curling like a cat kneading something soft. "Miss Helena," I breathed. "Look."

Miss Rowan's eyelid twitched, then the corner of her mouth.

Miss Helena was frozen in anticipation, vibrating beneath my hand. Then, slowly, painfully slowly, she reached out with trembling fingertips and brushed over the strong bones and tendons that shaped the back of Miss Rowan's hand. Slowly, she curled them around the soft webbing at the thumb, tucking them into her palm.

When the fingers weakly curled around that gentle grip, I let a few tears slip as Miss Helena burst into sobs of relief.

 

++ Shan ++

I woke to fight-or-flight mode.

Even as my rational mind yelled caution, I was rolling off the gurney and dropping into a crouch. Sure, I was panicking, but who could blame me?

The bastards at the lab rarely performed procedures on me, most of that was reserved for Boo, but I'd woken stretched out like this, full of pain and needles, all too often. Agony lanced up and down my body… good Lord, what had I done to myself?

"Shan!"

The yelp registered in sync with my surroundings. Brilliant blue eyes, sweaty dark hair… "Hel?"

With realization and the receding tide of adrenaline came the pain, thumping and deep in my skin, bone and guts. "Dammit, Shan. Stop moving before you fuck yourself up worse!"

Alfred was suddenly there… and a ghost from my past.

"Bug?" I whispered in disbelief and she froze for a moment before defiantly meeting my eyes. "You're alive? How?" Something shifted in her familiar golden eyes and she smiled a sweet, shy smile. Ignoring the agony in my back, I grabbed her still-small frame and Helena both in a big hug. "You're alive! There is a god!"

Then I remembered Boo, still and lifeless.

Frozen in my tracks, I looked over Hel's head to see my sister laying quite still on a nearby gurney, wrapped in all manner of technology. It was horrifying-looking.

"Boo?"

It was like being a child again, terrified every time they came for her, sometimes both of us. Crying and squirming in fear, we'd fight them to no effect. "Squeakers," Bug said quietly and I noted how grown-up she sounded. "She's gonna be okay. Really. The nanites are working on her."

Terrified, I looked into eyes of gold, eyes of blue and saw no lies, no deception.

So… I believed.

 

++ Helena ++

Now that the latest wave of excitement had calmed, Bug and I helped Shan over to Ro's bedside and stood over her. The violet eyes scanned the room with crushing sadness, trailing over Barbara, Dinah and the others. "So much pain," she murmured and I made an urgent-cat noise to make her look down.

"Hope too, partner. We're alive, and that makes it a good day."

Somehow it was the right thing to say, and she grinned weakly. There was a movement at the door and we looked over. The relief that poured over Shan was palatable as she breathed, "Miss Honey."

This looked more like the woman that the twins remembered. Warm, if not still hazy, brown eyes swept over the room, adoration radiating out to the furry women beside me.

"Shan," she half-sobbed and they met in a strong hug. "What happened to Ro?"

The sadness from us was like a living thing, the fallout of one woman's deep, deep madness.

"Squea… kers?" Slurred and drunken, Ro barely sounded like herself and we were all startled to hear her at all. Carefully, so carefully, I stroked her face and forelock while Shan purred at Janelle for a moment. "Hel…"

"We're both here," I reassured her gently as Shan came over to share snuffle-kisses with her sister. They rubbed noses and purred, smelling each other's healing scents. "Welcome home."

Blearily, her eyes tried to focus on us as Shan stood, the nictitating membrane at half-mast. "What the hell happened? The last thing I remember is following Dinah into a trap."

"I know," I reassured. "Would you believe me if I said it was a long story?"

"Smartass."

"Better'n a dumb one. Listen, some really nasty shit went down, okay? When you're stronger, I'll tell you everything."

Wise eyes bored into mine. "Promise?"

As much as some of the story was going to hurt, I could deny her nothing. "I promise. But everything worked out better than we could've ever dreamed of."

On cue, Ro's nostrils flared and a puzzled look came over her face. Slowly, almost reluctantly, she rolled her head over to scan the room.

 

++ Ro ++

I hardly recognized the face peering out shyly from behind Helena. There was no mistaking the flash of yellow-gold eyes and the rich, silvery black mane. "Bug," I purred. "I was starting to wonder if you were the smartie on our tails. Man, I'm so happy you're alive. I'm so sorry we left you behind."

Only seven years old when we thought her dead, the beautiful young woman Twenty-six had become stepped out so that I could see her clearly. She smiled shyly, and I was glad to see the warm expression, but there was something in her eyes told me more than mere words could have.

"She's dead, isn't she?"

There was no need to ask which 'she' I spoke of and Bug nodded solemnly. "We're free, all of us. We're finally free."

The news left me conflicted. Doctor Julia Blackwell didn't deserve my compassion, but I still felt a part of me mourn the woman who had been the only 'parent' our young selves had known. I suppose that's what made me and Shan and Bug different from her.

Then, a far more welcome scent registered across my brain.

Sweet and warm, Janelle always smelled that way. There was an undertone to her that was like baking bread and fresh grass in the sunlight.

Then, I saw her.

Tucked protectively between Davie and a woman I'd never met, was my first love. She looked tired and wan, as though she'd been bedridden for a very long time.

But her earthy dark eyes were the same.

Barbara was neatly laid out on the gurney next to mine, and I was torn suddenly between all of the loved ones surrounding me. Janelle was here and at least appeared to be fully aware of herself. My new lovers were under unknown stresses, my sister was limping badly, Bug was alive…

I whimpered, brain and heart torn in too many directions.

Both Helena and Janelle moved to come closer, stopped as the territory of my heart was suddenly crowded.

I reached for both, purring and whining as their dark manes filled my senses, their different scents wrapping me in security. "Oh Jan," I whispered and skritched Hel's scalp almost to the point of pain, feeling her burrow into my neck and shoulder where I had taken a bullet for her. Somehow I would have to figure out the confusing morass of emotions. For now, I reveled in the quiet that surrounded my past and my future.

In time, Helena helped Bug shove Shan's bed between mine and the strange red-headed woman with the head bandages. I suppose I was still in some kind of shock, too overwhelmed by all the things I was experiencing, still clinging to the silent Janelle's hand. "What happened to Barbara?" I asked quietly, watching the quiet figure on the gurney to my other side. "And why can't I feel my legs and tail?"

My calm tone belied my fear. Why would Babs be unconscious? She didn't go out on the front lines anymore…

It was Bug that answered quietly, "she drank the nanites to keep Doctor B from getting them. Good thing too, because the makeshift lab was destroyed and the new powerhouse with it. She also erased the hard drive. It was insanely brilliant."

"How the hell did B get to her?"

The pain in Bug's eyes cut through me and I realized several things.

Harley had hypnotized me, that's why I remembered nothing.

They had sent me after Barbara and the missing technology.

Oh God…

What had I done?

"You had no control," Bug said firmly. "Whatever that hypnosis power was of Harley's, it was powerful."

Both Shan and Helena nodded and the later spoke up in a tight voice. "She sent me after Babs during our first run in with her after she stole that hypnosis power, and got into the clocktower because I sang like an opera singer. Barbara's boyfriend died because of that. Oh, and Alfred tried to shoot me." The last comment was suddenly teasing as she grinned at the butler. "But it won't happen again. Davie turned her brain inside out. Said she's trapped her inside her own mind, y'know?"

Like they did to Janelle. I squeezed her hand, feeling the pressure returned. The brown eyes were haunted, but strong.

Poor Davie, forced to do that. It had to have been horrible, experiencing that kind of twisting along with her victim.

"You need to rest," Bug coaxed and flashed that shy-kid smile that was all hers. "Helena's already told me that I'm not going anywhere, so we all have lots of time to heal and catch up."

"Okay," I yawned wearily and Janelle settled heavily into the edge of my bed, her head on my shoulder. Bug and Hel moved off to the others, and I met the shadowed gaze of my twin. There would be more than just physical healing that would need to be done. My arm felt like cooked spaghetti as I raised it up and rested my knuckles on Shan's mane. Rubbing my thumb against the thin, stiff curve of her ear where the skin had been lasered clean of fur, I silently studied the familiar tattoo. The square-lettered '17B' and the line of barcode that was the legacy of our creators. "I think we should get rid of these damn tattoos. What'd you think?"

Shan thought for a moment and then regarded me with uncharacteristic soberness. "I don't think it matters anymore. We're our own people now. These," she reached up to flick at the barcode before twining our fingers together and tucking them under her chin. "Mean nothing anymore."

"You've changed," I observed and Shan smiled a heartbreakingly bittersweet smile.

"I've learned." After a sober moment studying one another's eyes, Shan abruptly lightened up. "So, there's good news and bad news."

"Some of which I'm guessing has to do with the fact that I can't feel anything from the diaphragm down?"

"Yeah, that's part of it, but it's not as bad as you think. Something really heavy fell on you and broke you up. The Fleas are doing their job as we speak. Bug rigged up some contraption to keep you numb while you heal."

"Sweet," I breathed, more relieved than I wanted to admit that the frightening numbness was temporary. It made me think of Barbara, trapped in her wheelchair for so many years, and something occurred to me. "I hadn't finished programming the nanites. I hope this all works out."

 

++ Jane/Carolyn Lance ++

I wasn't Jane Doe. I had a name, a past, memories that were once again mine for the taking.

Kind of.

Snatches of me were coming back. It would take time to relearn myself, but it would be worth it. I had my daughter back and I was tired of running. At one point Dinah had woken, but I reassured her that everything was fine and gently persuaded her to sleep and heal. Between Dinah and my adoptive family of Kelly and Carrie, I hadn't left the room to do more than use the restroom and have my own small wounds tended to.

That monster of a woman had tortured my daughter. Screaming out my meta-gift had been one of the easiest decisions I had ever made. An instinct deeper than self-preservation drove me to that extreme. To save my child, I would stop at nothing. Perhaps one day I would regret mercilessly killing Doctor Blackwell.

But I doubted it.

Half-asleep, I almost missed the small sounds of Dinah waking. Immediately, I sat forward and shook myself out. "Hi, baby."

"Mom?" She whispered uncertainly, blue eyes still unfocused. "Is it really is you?"

"Yes. I'm so sorry about all that's happened. I was suffering from amnesia and couldn't remember who I was or who should know that I was alive. Some doctors patched me back up after the fire and set me up with an agency to get me a job. Two of the people involved in this chaos took me in."

"I really thought you were dead."

"I know. I wish things could have been different, but I'm here now and I'm not running away again."

It was the right thing to say, as Dinah's smile turned almost sunny. Then she craned her head to eyeball the infirmary. "Is Shan okay?" Voice soft, Dinah sounded frightened for the strange white women I had barely had a chance to meet. There was something more than just concern in her tone…

"She's been up and around periodically, hovering over you as often as she can." As I had expected, my reply made her flush slightly. "You two are more than friends?"

Something in my teasing tone made Dinah relax. She was a big girl and could take of herself, as she had proven again and again. Besides, this Shan must a good person, because Barbara Gordon was possibly the finest judge of character I had ever known.

Slowly, Dinah began to tell me what had been happening recently and I settled in to be a good audience. I held the warm hand of my precious daughter and basked in the happiness of just being there for her.

 

++ Janelle ++

While the twins slept, my new friend, Davie, outlined a rough sketch of what was happening around me. Even as I listened and looked around to see the proof of her tale, I could hardly believe it.

But Ro's look of relief when she'd finally woken to see me nearby her was proof enough. Purring like a diesel engine, she'd tugged me down and snuffled through my too-long hair, licking roughly at my tears as I sobbed in relief.

Now I rested, curled against Shan's strong back, all too aware of the hideous bruising I cradled protectively with my own body.

The dark-haired young woman with the striking blue eyes had spoken volumes with her gaze alone when we had both moved to comfort Ro earlier. No one had needed to tell me of the nature of the relationship. A lost lifetime ago, I looked at the white woman that same way. My heart and body were still powerfully drawn to the twins. The loss of time confounded me, because I had never experienced it. To me, little or no time had passed, while in reality a full three years had passed me by. I still barely believed it, but Shan's body bore the scars and muscles to prove it. While they had always been slender and whipcord, now they were true adults, grown solid and smooth into their own skins.

Several things had fallen into place since accepting Davie as guide out of the fog.

The twins weren't as unique as I would have believed. The dark girl with the tail was proof of that. These other 'metahumans' had comic-book powers, just like the teleporting.

My sweet ghost women had found a home.

Would they want me to stay?

 

++ Davie ++

As an orphan who could read minds from day one, raised in the strange circumstances by very old-world nuns in the far-flung wilds of Greece, I suppose I had an unusual view on life. The women of the cloth kept me isolated for my safety as well as others, until my control of my strange power was absolute. From them, I learned discipline, morality and decency. In turn, I passed those lessons to my unexpected sidekicks. I had never expected them, perhaps never even wanted them, exactly.

Looking back at the past three years, I wouldn't trade an instant. My life had been very isolated until Ro and Shan, always holding my fellow humans at arms-length. Trying to keep the twins from getting to close was pointless, they did it anyway. I may have taught them about the life they now led in the shadows, but they taught me what it was to really live.

Ro purred and woke softly as I stroked her forehead, returning my smile.

 _"Hi."_

 _"Hi yourself, Leo, m'boy. That was a hell of a wild ride, hmm?"_

 _"Hella ride. Are you staying? Or does the road call?"_

 _"Hey, I thought I was the telepath."_

Ro snorted with humor at the comment and Shan stirred to life. I studied Ro's calm gaze, trying to decipher her by the patterns in their depths alone. " _These people will need teachers, people of experience,_ " Ro elaborated while yawning.

"Yeah, that thought had occurred to me," I admitted reluctantly. " _Barbara made a crack a while back about there being no school for superheroes. Dunno if I'm cut out for that kind of life._ "

Ro's expression turned wry. " _Splinter, since when does a challenge scare you off?_ "

I had to laugh at that little nugget of observation. Leaning over, I indulged in an uncharacteristic display of affection and kissed each of them on the temples to show them how grateful I was for them. Shan smiled almost shyly and rubbed her nose against my chin. There were shadows in her eyes and I made a note to take the role of shrink for her, and soon.

Bug's head suddenly jerked up from where she had been dozing against Barbara's gurney. A sharp buzz was coming from the monitoring equipment watching the red-head.

"What's that?" Ro asked, her voice fearful, and I grabbed her hand.

But Bug only smiled in pleasure and began fiddling with the equipment. "They're done."

Barbara Gordon was stirring back to life.

 

++ Helena ++

I probably never touched the floor even once as I raced like a madwoman for the infirmary. Dammit, Barbara! Figures she had to go and wake up once I'd finally been threatened, cajoled and browbeaten into at least taking a shower and changing clothes.

 _"Helena! Relax! It's still going to be a few minutes before she's lucid!"_

 _"Daaaaaaavie!"_ I cried internally in distress as I hurtled down endless flights of stairs. " _I should have been there!_"

" _And you will be if you don't break your damn fool neck!_ "

She was right, damn her, and I slowed only enough to hopefully prevent accidents to me or any poor fool I encountered in the halls. Bug flinched when I barreled in and I unconsciously put a reassuring hand on her neck as I loomed over Barbara's bed. The twins and Davie looked about as freaked as I felt.

Barbara's facial muscles twitched and she exhaled, long and slow, like waking up from a very deep sleep. I reached out and traced her cheek with gentle fingertips, willing her to open those green eyes and reassure all of us that she was okay.

"Babs?" It was a bare whisper that fell from my lips, but she heard it, turning her head into my caress. Then something like pain flashed across her face and she groaned. "Babs," I crooned again, leaning down to curl my arms around her head and shoulders. "I'm here." A pale, clawed hand snaked out and I gratefully latched onto the moral support, flashing Ro a shaky grin. "We're all here."

Dinah stumbled out of nowhere, draped over the woman the Black Canary had become. Alfred materialized to rest a warm hand on my shoulder. A glance back showed that Gabby was with him and she grinned reassuringly.

"Look," Davie whispered and we all followed her gesture.

Barbara's left leg twitched.

Not any little spastic twitch either. It was a waking-muscle shudder that ran all through the long muscles, bending the knee slightly and making her bare toes move beneath the blanket.

"Uncover her legs," I asked the room in general and Davie moved to do it gently. The brush of fabric completed the circuit of wakefulness and Barbara's eyes jerked open.

"Wha…?"

"Hi," I smiled lovingly. "Take a deep breath, relax." It was the gentlest tone I knew, perfect to reassure the panic in her hazy eyes. Somehow, it worked and Barbara focused on me to anchor herself. "How does it feel?"

There was nothing like a puzzle to get Barbara Gordon to focus. Russet brows furrowed in concentration for a breathless moment. Then the most extraordinary look dawned over her face. For an endless moment I couldn't breathe, caught up in the sheer wonderment of her expression.

"I… I can feel my toes."

 

++ Barbara ++

There were no words, no way to explain the pins-and-needles of sensation in the parts of my body so long lost to me. Helena looked like she was going to cry and I reached up to pet the damp hair. Then I rolled my head over to see the twins with that same expression on their faces.

Both had shadows in their eyes. Somehow Ro knew what had happened while she was under Harley's spell and I reached out to cup her check in my hand. "I forgive you."

Ro startled and pain and relief flashed in her eyes. More words would need to be exchanged, but now was not the time. We made a silent agreement between us.

It seemed just about everyone was here. They fussed over me and vice-versa, before scattering. There was something familiar about the woman hovering over Dinah…

Ro's gentle touch on my shoulder distracted me from my musings and I rolled my head to smile at her. I was impossibly glad to see her kindness and adoration again, not that foreign madness and hate.

"What the hell possessed you to drink them?" Ro asked and I chuckled self-depreciatingly.

"It seemed the only way. I knew the Bad Back program was close to completion, so I took a chance that that Fleas were smart enough to fill in the blanks. I was just worried about them not having a home base."

"Right."

The raven-haired young woman monitoring the equipment attached to me suddenly broke in on the conversation, her voice conversational. "They built their own. It wasn't hard, really, but it was a brilliant extrapolation." She seemed oblivious that we were staring at her in confusion. "The genetics look sound from what I can tell, but that's what the nanites were made for, after all. Both the primary and the secondary appear to be healthy and developing normally, even if they're doing it more quickly than normally. But the nanites will ensure that they don't develop too fast." Bug chortled and flashed the gaping twins a smile. "Bet they were surprised by the tertiary, huh? Just like you, Squeakers." After a moment, Bug's hands stilled on the equipment and she once again looked at us, staring incoherently at her. "What?"

"Bug," Ro said in exaggerated patience as a curious Helena wandered back over from where she'd been hanging out with Dinah. "Pretend I have no clue what the hell any of that meant. Explain it to me."

So the infamous and much-missed Bug was still alive! And currently wrinkling her nose at Ro. "The nanites had no control center, so they built two firehouses. Well, they just set natural biological processes into effect. They always make a backup, just in case, and you carry the genetic blueprint for identical twins, so now there's a tertiary too." Comprehension washed over Bug's face. "You really don't know what I'm talking about, do you? The nanites hijacked two eggs and used genetic manipulation to supply them with a second set of chromosomes, using the best bits of Ro and Helena, who were the last two gene sequences they had memory of."

Part of me knew what she was talking about, after all, it made a certain kind of perverse sense, but I was too shocked to really accept it. Bug sighed in gentle frustration of our combined obtuseness.

"You're pregnant, Oracle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a terrific, feel good song as the girls are starting to come back together and heal.
> 
> Guardian Angel, by Jane Weidlin  
> Don't cry  
> I am here and I am strong  
> Don't hide your light  
> Got to learn to let it shine on  
> You've got everything inside  
> You need to survive  
> And I am here tonight   
> To be your guardian angel
> 
> CHORUS  
> I'll sing the world to sleep  
> Hold you close and keep you well  
> Watch the moon rise in the heat  
> Be your guardian angel
> 
> Secrets  
> You know they're safe with me  
> Regrets  
> Only keep you where you used to be  
> There is joy deep down inside  
> I see someone so alive  
> And that's why I'm here tonight  
> To be your guardian angel
> 
> CHORUS
> 
> Think about it now  
> On such a warm, warm night  
> Shouldn't we fly?
> 
> CHORUS TO FADE


	18. Takes a Little Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pack bonds grow tighter...

++ Ro ++

I couldn't help it.

I tried, I really did, but I just couldn't help it.

I started laughing.

It hurt like hell, as my half-numb body jostled, but I laughed anyway. Of all the insane, incomprehensible, one-in-a-billion things to happen! Bug seemed half-insulted at my hilarity, giving Barbara a dry look. "That's what you get for giving such vague instructions. You have to be very specific with the nanites."

I managed to grab a lock of red hair and gave a sharp tug to get Barbara's attention. Her eyes were huge in her face. Still smiling, I poured my heart into my eyes, deeply glad for this impossible event. Something deeply primitive in me was soothed by the knowledge that cubs would carry my legacy into the future. That these two women I adored shared that legacy was a precious, precious gift.

Helena's blue eyes were almost as shocked as Barbara's and she sank into the chair between our beds. "You're pregnant? That's nuts." Then more of the story registered and her dark brows jumped up in shock. "And its Ro's and mine? Whoa…"

I chuckled again and purred softly at the women. The sound was echoed by my sister, still curled beside me, holding my other hand. Shan had stayed uncharacteristically quiet through all of this. "Aren't you happy?" She suddenly asked softly and Barbara's panic started to recede.

"I… I don't know. This is so sudden. It's too much, too soon. So much has happened…"

Abruptly, Helena stood and leaned over to gather up Barbara into a crushing hug. "I love you," wafted softly past my sensitive ears and I was content. Especially when Helena used the hug to pull Barbara into sitting up and letting her legs dangle off the side of the bed.

"I love you guys too. Help me stand."

That was the Barbara I had fallen so madly for, strong and determined. I watched hungrily as Helena pressed her even closer, the embrace turning into a standing hug. Barbara panted heavily and clung to Hel like an anchor. I rubbed Helena's back and purred in tune with my twin to encourage them.

"Ouch," Barbara giggled into Hel's hair. "Good ouch, but ouch nonetheless. My feet… feel… strange."

"Hey, it's been awhile. Like the worst case ever of having your legs fall asleep," Helena teased to a chorus of chuckles.

"Yes, exactly like that," Barbara drawled back dryly and finally looked at me over Helena's shoulder. From the moment I'd met them both, they had been a delight to me. And now our family was growing.

"You okay to stand for a sec?" Helena asked Barbara, who nodded. In a moment, Helena filled my vision, the blue close enough to see the spokes of individual color. "I wanna hug you so bad…"

"Mutual," I murmured. "Now, shut up and kiss me."

She was all too happy to oblige, careful to be gentle. Shan nuzzled us both while Barbara stroked over Hel's back and the hand I had curled awkwardly around her.

"So," Hel purred against my lips. "What has the hurricane here told you?"

"Not enough," I pouted like a kid until she laughed in delight, and then her eyes were suddenly full of tears.

"I thought I wouldn't get a chance to tell you," Helena mumbled hoarsely, her suddenly serious heart shining in her intense gaze. "I love you Ro, I love you too Shan, but I love Ro special." Shan snorted in mock annoyance and tugged at her hair with bared teeth. I was shell-shocked at the admission and Helena kissed me again, distracting my shock with the sweet sin of her mouth. "Yeah, I know how that feels." She breathed softly.

"Me too," Barbara chimed in. "You both have my heart."

I couldn't help shifting my gaze to Shan, who chuckled warmly. "Don't sweat me, sis. I'm just waiting for my girl to jump the jailbait hurdle. I'm certain that soon enough I'll be as irritatingly goopy as you three."

I loved them too; I truly did, but…

With Janelle back in my life and pups on the way…

What did I do now?

 

++ Helena ++

Utterly lost in thought, I sat on the edge of the enormous bed I had claimed as mine. Was it just a few days ago that I had let both Rowan and Barbara into my body and heart?

I'd hate for that miracle to fall apart as quickly as it had happened.

Before I could get too caught up in my own thoughts, a welcome voice distracted me. "Helena?"

I grinned weakly up at Barbara, insanely glad to see her. "Hi babe."

It was a miracle, bona-freakin'-fied.

Barbara Gordon was walking on her own.

Oh sure, it was awkward as hell, and she was working with a cane until she relearned how to walk properly without that hateful spinal coupler that hurt her so bad, but that didn't lessen the miracle. Gently, Barbara tugged my head over to rest against her abdomen and I sighed lustily. "I was just thinking how much I've changed. And so fast. Never thought one person could change me so much."

"Oh, I think she was merely a catalyst," Barbara soothed, petting my hair. "You've been wanting to move past your pain for a long time. We both wanted to… but I think that perhaps we were, as a unit, too close to the pain. Your mom, my back."

It made sense, and something inside began to unwind. "My mom would have loved Ro," I mused, smiling at the thought. "Bein' Catwoman and all. Can you imagine the havoc she could have wreaked with the twins helping her?"

"The mind boggles," Barbara chuckled.

Beneath my cheek, new life had stirred deep in my lover's body, provided by the same miracle that created my other lover. "Full circle," I murmured and stroked Barbara's flat abdomen in wonderment. "Never thought I'd be so damn glad for those damn Fleas."

"Me too," Barbara whispered and I looked up in to her eyes. They were full of wonderment and fear. Carefully standing, I pushed away the cane and wrapped her in a full-bodied hug. "Oh Hel, I never thought I would be able to hold you like this. I felt so weird, being attracted to you for so long, after being your mother's pal and being around you since you were just a girl. Then one day, I realized what an incredible woman you were suddenly becoming and I sublimated by pushing you to be stronger, faster. Maybe I was doing all those things that you've accused me of at some time or another, using you as an outlet I no longer had."

It hurt to hear Barbara say those things, but they needed to be said. "No longer," I soothed. "We were lonely and hurting. Good thing Dinah followed me home that night and helped set all these events in motion. I know both of us would have been far less accepting of Davie and the twins if it hadn't been for Di."

"Agreed," Barbara grinned and her expression suddenly went scared again. "Do you think they'll stay? Now that Janelle's herself again?"

God, she sounded so terrified… With Janelle here, now what would happen?

 

++ Shan ++

Eventually, Jan stirred awake and carefully climbed off the gurney behind me. That let me roll onto my back and let stiff, sore muscles change positions. A groan rumbled up from deep in my chest, echoed by a kitten noise nearby. That made me sit up halfway to see Bug perched on a chair, sleeping uncomfortably at Ro's side. Dinah was tossing restlessly on her gurney and I stiffly got to my feet and padded over. "Hey Pretty Bird," I purred and she immediately rolled onto her side to bury her face in my belly. "I'm here."

"Nightmares," Dinah mumbled like she was embarrassed. I gently coaxed her to sit up and be hugged proper.

"Dinah. My sweet Pretty Bird, what that monster did to you is nothing that you need to be ashamed of. She was twisted and evil, trust me, I know firsthand. Don't let her madness hurt you anymore."

Sobbing, Dinah clung to me, and I ignored the whining of my back muscles from the uncomfortable half-stoop. "Wow," she breathed in my ear, leaning back to meet my gaze. "You're just so… wow."

A delighted grin split my face as I was reminded of her strength and innocence that had drawn me so powerfully in the first place. "Yeah, I feel the same way." Bug jerked awake as Janelle came back. Kissing Di softly, I gave her a squeeze and stepped away to my old packmates. "Miss Honey? Will you stay with Ro? I need to get my girl and the Bug here into a normal bed for some solid sleep."

"Sure," Jan agreed, but the shadows in her eyes were deep and dark. Coaxing her head up with a crooked finger, I leaned over to snuffle-kiss her, remembering how she always liked the silk-fine brush of our cheeks and noses against her own. It earned the grin I wanted.

"Janelle. We're so glad you're here. I know things are weird with Ro now, what with Babs and Hel-cat and puppies on the way, but everything's gonna work out."

Her sweetly familiar brown eyes were soft and vulnerable. "I lost all that time, Shan. You two have changed so much."

"So get to know us again. I'm still your playful goofball and Ro's still her sweet, serious self. Sure, there's more layers, but you still know us." Gesturing at my sleeping twin with my chin, I smiled softly at the woman who had helped to mold us into worthwhile beings. "Don't give up on her, yourself, or any of us as a whole. Just because we've found other people to love, doesn't mean that we love you any less. Okay?"

"You've changed," Janelle sniffled, and her familiar sunny smile shone up at me. "And in a good way."

"Everyone keeps saying that," I grumbled with no menace before sobering. "I've looked into the darkest places in me and my packmates saved me from myself." I paused to look over my shoulder where Dinah watched in silence, her expression affectionate, a little embarrassment mixed with the all-too-raw fear of what had nearly happened to all of us. "The best thing that I can do to honor that is learn from the lesson."

"You've always been good at that, sweetie," Janelle soothed and my gaze returned to her. "I think I'm going to really like the people you and your sister have become."

 

\+ Dinah ++

It was sweet to watch Shan's fine fur stand up and flutter down again in her pleasure from Janelle's compliment. Though, I had to be honest…

I was insanely jealous.

Once more, Shan nuzzled Janelle and then turned to me. Jealousy bled away as I was hit with the force of that burning violet gaze. There was no indication that Shan had nearly snapped her spine three days ago, as she sashayed over to me like a cat in heat. Despite the lingering ache in body and soul, my hormones perked up in interest at the show. Then she was in my space, gentle and tasty in my mouth. All of the horrible stuff that happened to both of us drained away, as I buried one hand into the silky hair and felt a strong bicep beneath the other. The woman could kiss like nothing else in the whole universe mattered. Right about the time I was ready to yank her down to the gurney and to hell with our audience, Shan pulled away only far enough to meet my gaze. Half out of focus, she was tense with need, pupils pinpricks.

The low growl made every fine blonde hair on my body stand up to attention. It was a thrill to know that I'd made her make that sound. Then I had to go and yawn, ruining the moment. By the time the dizzying wave passed, I was wrapped in a warm hug. "C'mon, Pretty Bird. There's got to be a bed we can actually get some real sleep somewhere in this museum."

"You got it."

Bug was yawning even more hugely than me, flashing blunt canines. Shan tucked me under one arm and affectionately scruffed Bug with the other hand. "C'mon squirt, you need sleep."

"But…"

"No buts. Ro'll be fine. Davie'll holler if anything happens. Bed."

Dejectedly, Bug allowed herself to be bullied by the much larger Shan and we headed out to find somewhere quiet and safe. We all stopped in our tracks as an enormous man stepped into the hall. "Tiny!" Bug exclaimed happily and went to him. There was animal tension between he and Shan, but I remembered him helping me and smiled.

"You helped save me. Thank you, Tiny."

Instantly, he looked like a happy dog, handsome face splitting into a wide grin. Bet if he had a tail, it would be wagging.

"Good dog," Bug praised and he looked ready to bust, he was so delighted. "I'll be sleeping around here somewhere if you need anything."

"Okay."

Next person we stumbled into was Gabby. Literally. As she bounced half off me and half off Shan, I noticed how exhausted she looked. "Sorry guys," she murmured and yawned. "Didn't mean to run you down. Just busy, y'know?"

Shan didn't release her steadying grip and I caught my pal's eye. "When did you sleep last?"

"Umm…"

Shan sighed heavily. "Babs is up and running now and you need sleep. I've designated myself as the sleep police and you're under arrest. If it makes you feel better, you can be in charge of Bug here. C'mon troops."

That was that, and they followed reluctantly. "Try that one," I offered and waved at a door, earning a grin from my girl. My girl… I liked the sound of that. The door swung open to reveal a massive bedroom with a bathroom off to the side.

"Score," Shan purred in delight. I received a telepathic tingle from her that I was beginning to associate with Davie. "Splinter'll keep the others posted."

Bug moved into the room hesitantly and Gabby stepped in behind her. That left me in my walking half-embrace with Shan. Looking up at her strong profile, I felt adoration and awe at her presence in my life. "Hey," I whispered and she looked down quizzically. "Glad you're here."

"Me too," she purred and leaned down to kiss me again. A long time must have passed while I was lost in Shan, as Gabby's teasing voice reached me.

"Get a room," she laughed as she walked past the doorway and interrupted us. Once again, my body and hormones were humming happily to Shan's tune.

"Smartass," Shan sassed and gently prodded me towards the enormous bed in the room. Groaning at the lingering soreness, I sank down and sprawled back into the heavenly softness.

"Oh yeah, this is much better."

"Good to see you feeling better," Gabby chuckled and sat on the bed beside me. "I was worried. Hell, I was worried about everybody."

"It's rarely gets so bad," I tried to explain. "Harley was a nightmare."

"Yeah. Got that. You recovering okay?"

"Yeah. Having a big family around makes all the difference. Lie down Gab, you look wasted."

 

++ Gabby ++

Something woke me from a deep, black sleep. A body, curvy and female, was shifting agitatedly against my side. Something was wrong. Then the purr started up, deep and rumbling, like the diesel engine in my dad's work truck. Di's whimpering tapered off and she settled into my side again. So who was the other body wrapped around me like a bad cold?

It was the girl that Shan called Bug. From that first night she'd caught my eye, all fear and strength of character. The fox tail wagging slowly behind her or bristled up with emotion was a little disorienting, but not half as much as the albino twins. Bug was clinging to me in a borderline death grip, her curves warm and soft at not at all off-putting. Dinah was nearly as clingy, and there was a white hand laying almost possessively on my belly.

All and all, it was a fantasy made flesh. The rampant hormones around this collection of sexy women were the sweetest torture. God, that incident at the sex shop and watching Barbara's face while we listened…

Shan's hand moved like a caress against me, as though in response to my carnal thoughts. She made a low sound that was half-moan and half growl, playing harmony to that familiar purr. It was an insanely sexy sound. Wonder if she had a sandpapery tongue like a cat's? Better stop that train of thought right there. And Dinah smelled good, curled up snug to my side…

Dammit! Bug was purring too! This was so not fair!

Dinah returned Shan's soft noise with a faint moan of her own, stirring against me more sensual than agitated this time. What was this, a test for sainthood or something?

Eventually, sleep pulled me down again, the drone of the dual purrs and the drugging body heat were too much…

 

++ Dinah ++

Jeez, but I was sick of jumping at every little sound…

I might put on a brave face for the gang, but I was still rattled in every corner. Even back in my peaceful hidey-holes of Opal, the fear wouldn't leave me. There were some massive, twisted stands of some tree that might have been an oak or walnut or something, way out in the fields that was my spot. The Redmonds never could find me there, as though they never really noticed that the wind-twisted grove.

Maybe I had made it up… a mental fortress against the hate and fear I was surrounded by. My visions terrified my adopted family and they used intimidation and the rhetoric of religion to try and control the uncontrollable. The acceptance I had found in New Gotham was slowly healing a lifetime of mental abuse.

The open plains no longer felt so oppressive, the sky was blue and clear, the wind sweet in my nostrils and caressing my face.

"So," the voice scared me into jumping up and whirling around. "Think you might enjoy being here again?"

Heart pounding, I glowered at my companion and bent over to catch my breath and calm my racing heart. "Dammit Left Ear, you scared the hell out of me."

Nonchalantly, the coyote-woman studied a claw and sneer-grinned at me. "Your fear lost you your edge. I wanted to tell you that I admired how you got out of that trap awhile back."

"Trap?"

"Yeah, where the torture was coming from the outside."

"Oh," I said lamely, remembering what Doctor B did to me. The skies darkened again, the atmosphere becoming oppressive, like the heartbeat before a lightning strike. Left Ear cringed down towards the earth, ears flattening to her head. "No offense, but you control this place and it's been a little scary lately." After a pause, I swallowed the fear down and the skies again cleared. Terrific, my internal landscape was becoming one big mood ring. "Exactly," Left Ear purred and I sighed.

"It's healing, Lefty, but I still have nightmares."

"I know. The storms here are unreal."

Something about the way she said it made me take a good, long look at this construct of my telepathic mind. Left Ear merely coyote-grinned at me and returned the steady regard. She was different this time, her face more familiar, more… human. Ginger fur was creamy now, and the tail was sinuous instead of bushy and stiff…

"Shan?" I whispered hoarsely and Left Ear threw her head back and howl-laughed piercingly at the scattered clouds overhead.

"No," she chuckled and gave me a quick snuffle-kiss that made me giggle. "But I appreciate that you like me enough to give me some of the traits you like so much in her. Oops, time for the director to yell 'cut'. See you around, cub."

Like ink in water, the scenery began to run and bleed into something green, damp and dim. Rubbing my eyes in confusion, I was suddenly surrounded by a forest like I'd never seen before. It was lush and dank, with a heavy coolness despite the dappled sun, and massive fir trees towered over me. The undergrowth was a tangled rat's nest of ferns and blackberry brambles, the fat purple berries gleaming in the scattered light. The ground beneath my heels was spongy and damp, the thick smell of this cool damp place was intoxicating.

Something crashed noisily in the trees.

There was no visibility in this place. The undergrowth and trunks were knitted so thickly together that I could only see a dozen yards at best. Unsure what to do about the rapidly approaching animal, its flight wild with panic, I crouched down and waited. Oddly enough, I felt no fear, only that familiar thrill of danger.

A deer flashed past me, its eyes wild with panic, blood and foam streaking its hide.

Another noise joined the first, a heavy crash above.

A pale body, clothed only in familiar white fuzz, appeared from nowhere to land solidly on the deer. Bleating with panic, the animal went down in a thrashing pile and the young predator snarled in success.

Another familiar flash of white streaked right over my head and also pounced on the deer.

I couldn't watch, my oh-so-human sensibilities cringing at the pathetic cries of the deer as it was methodically slaughtered.

In moments, the racket of the kill vanished and rushing water filled my ears.

Filled it. A roar of a million little splashes smashing against one another and the unforgiving stone, streaming to the sea in a relentless din of sound. Birds sang sweetly, interspersed with the harsh caw of ravens and blue jays.

A blaze of smells filled my brain to capacity, the sweetness of the clean water, the mustiness of the heavy forest as it breathed around me. Faints wisps of scent that were the animals of this place, tantalizing to my empty belly. The tang of snow, far too close for comfort.

Icy water swirled around my wrists and ankles and… tail.

Oookay then, that clinched it, this was definitely a memory I was now participating in. The glitter of the sun off of the rushing water was almost blinding, but it was the flash of dark, streamlined shapes beneath the churning surface that drew me in.

A roar jerked my attention downstream, adrenaline spiking, clawed fingers and toes digging into the sandy, rocky streambed. Bears prowled these waters, great hulking brown predators with their thick scents and surly tempers. Two big males challenged one another while I leaned towards the water again.

The stimuli was so real, that my brain was left reeling. Was this really how the twins experienced the world around them? The sheer volume of sensory information was overwhelming to me, but I could also see how intoxicating this level of detail would be.

I rode piggy-back in Shan's memories as she thrust her arm into the churning water, once, twice, and a third time. Cool and powerful and slick, the hook-billed monster of a red and silver salmon thrashed mightily in a powerful clawed hand. Its flesh was warm where the scales split beneath the drive of powerful canine teeth. It twisted wildly to escape, rocking Shan's skull, and she bit down harder to keep her grip and relished the taste of its ripe, healthy flesh.

Climbing into the forest above the river, Shan crept into the familiar trees until she came to one she knew and climbed it like a squirrel. Ro, looking sick and worn-out, gratefully accepted the now-quiet salmon and they purred together. I relished the rumble of it in my throat and bones, the powerful bond of the sisters, the simple pleasure of food. Then was the ritual of mutual grooming one another like big cats before curling up to sleep in a loose-limbed pile.

 

++ Barbara ++

Two days of practice had me almost steady on my feet. Two days of Helena's constant protective hovering and cuddling had my emotions on a surprisingly even keel. Two days of getting all of our stories straight, checking in on my dad and Reece, placing a call to Arkham to make sure that Harley was still incapacitated, tinkering with the Delphi, all the fun rigmarole.

It let me kind of ignore the pregnancy issue.

I'd caught up with Carolyn, started to get to know Bug and Tiny, and found that I really liked Janelle a lot. Helena was still bristly around the woman, but I think that things would calm in time. Part of loving Ro was understanding that she had a big, unorthodox family. There were still deep, deep feelings running between the spunky schoolteacher and the big white warrior. The feelings that I and Helena shared were just as important. There were many bridges to be built, and Jan and I were working on that. The easiest way to bond was the idea of a school. Young Carrie was the catalyst for it, the girl-woman, twelve years old and never a day of formal schooling. She and her mother had spent the girl's entire life as wanderers. They needed a home and this place was more than big enough to accommodate our newcomers and hundreds more. Even more importantly, they meant something to Carolyn. The vibes from my old pal as she stood over Kelly's still-unconscious body felt a whole lot like what I felt for Ro.

Everyone was healing nicely, and more of the nanites had been persuaded to move over to Ro and help the troops. Another day or two and I'd bet that tall and furry would be back on her feet, even if it would be a few more weeks before she was her usual athletic self.

"Barbara?"

Startled by the voice, I swiveled my chair and grinned at Dinah. I had hardly seen the girl in the days while we all recovered and found that I missed her. So I told her as much. "Hey there, superhero. How about a hug and a hello?" Dinah lit up like a Christmas tree and I stood to embrace her fully. "Were you always this tall?" I joked, but then sobered, grounded by the long-missed feeling of just being able to fully embrace someone I cared about. "Y'know, looking back, I think this is one of the things I missed the most." Pulling back only enough to look at me quizzically, Dinah's curious-puppy expression made me chuckle. "While I wasn't generally the touchy-feely type, I missed being able to hug." Again, Dinah lit up and tightened her grip until I laughingly begged for mercy. Then she looked smug and gentled, resting her head on my shoulder. "What's up, Dinah?"

"Still confused about Shan, y'know?"

It was so quiet, that I wasn't entirely sure I'd heard her. "What about her?"

"Just… I feel so strongly, but I'm still at arms-length… but neither of us can get closer. And I keep ending up in her head, re-living her memories, and I'm worried that I'm not dealing with my own stuff, y'know? And having Bug and Gabby all piled in with us while we sleep is… is…"

"Distracting?" I supplied wryly and Dinah sighed.

"Yeah, that'll do. But I hate the idea of being separated from them."

"I know exactly how you feel. Tell you what. Let's get a picnic lunch together and go hang out on the grounds. Just the two of us, no pressure. We can gossip about our big new family."

And for that, I earned Dinah's biggest, happiest grin.

 

++ Carrie ++

It was like window-shopping.

A past-time I both loved and hated.

Always on the outside, looking in. I had grown up on the run, swept up in the comet-trail of my mother's past. Never spending longer than a week in any one place, traveling by night, hiding from the sun. The months in New Gotham made the place almost feel homey, even if we'd wandered all over the big city. Part of that phenomenon was due to Jane…

Carolyn.

Carolyn Lance.

The famous Black Canary.

I was still in shock over that particular revelation. Not that I'd had much time to wonder at the strange odds of her being in my life.

Mom was still unconscious, warm and breathing, but motionless. Since her wounds were pretty well healed by Bree, who I liked, Davie had promised to see if she couldn't slip in and try to lead mom back out. I was desperately missing my mom's gruff, overprotective love and Jane's… Carolyn's warm affection. She was busy with Dinah… and I was jealous as hell.

Now, I wasn't the daughter, and I felt like I'd lost a mom.

But… I'd come into mom's room to see Carolyn sitting beside her, holding the still hand, tears in her brown eyes. So maybe, just maybe… she still needed us too.

Right on cue, a hand rested on my shoulder.

Knowing who it was, I didn't bother to scrub the tears away. Hiccupping through a sob, I turned to press my face into Carolyn's shoulder. She didn't tell me everything was going to be fine, she didn't make me angry with promises that might come up empty and meaningless. She just pet my hair and hummed softly in comfort. The gentle sound was wonderful, because I knew what that voice was capable of, had felt the building shudder and fracture around me when she destroyed that horrible lab downstairs from Harley's lair. Now, I could barely hear the faint strains of some wordless tune and clung to the sound. Maybe that voice could save both her daughter and me too.

 

++ Davie ++

Never let it be said that I couldn't have crappy timing with the best of them. Stepping into Kelly's room, I froze in mid-motion at the sight of Carrie bawling against the strength of Carolyn's body. Some telepath I was, completely missing the girl's breakdown. I felt it now, a wave of misery and loneliness that made my throat ache in sympathy. Her thoughts were a confused jumble, but I wisely let them run their course. Sometimes the best thing was to stay hands-off. Even if I hated it. Human beings were impossibly adaptable, but in the case of my powers, I had to let them do the work themselves. It wasn't always true, I could often make a powerful difference, but Carrie needed the hard work of old fashioned healing.

Carolyn was upset now, she was broadcasting it, and I reached out to discretely soothe so that she could concentrate on Carrie. "I know this is hard," the scarred woman began hesitantly, as though she was searching for the right thing to say. "But she's in good hands."

"What if she doesn't wake up?" Carrie whispered and I heard the thought rip sharp nails across my telepathic perceptions. Ouch.

"Then you're stuck with me." Startled by the words, Carrie looked up and a definitive point was reached between them. Damn, but that felt good. "Carrie, sweetie, I'm not leaving you just because I remember my past. I love you and your mom. You were my family when no one else would have me. There's no way in hell I'm walking away from that. Dinah's my family too, but so are you. Okay? Believe that and we'll be okay."

Incoherent relief and adoration rippled out from the teen and I felt a head-rush that was even better than pure oxygen or teleporting with the twins. Carolyn looked up and was startled that I was there, but relaxed at the idiotic grin I'm quite sure was splitting my face.

"Hey, Carrie. Davie's here to see if she can contact your mom. Anything we can do to help?"

"Actually, you're doing it now. Keep the emotional level up and it'll give her a beacon to find. Ready to see the world in my unique way?"

"Lead the way."

And with their hands in mine, we prepared to do our damnest to reunite this family.

 

++ Dinah ++

We were just about to walk out when a great, rolling peel of thunder rolled through the manor. I flinched despite myself and Barbara rested a hand on my arm. "Down girl. It's the doorbell. Curious?"

Looking back, I wished that I'd said no.

We went to the landing that overlooked the enormous entry hall. A strong sense of anticipation was building, turning the inside of my head to ozone. A mental lightning strike was building. There was a ripple of movement in the shadows, but Alfred bustling into the entry hall distracted me.

When I looked back, it was gone.

Ooookay, that was creepy. The tingle of power coiled behind my eyes, radiated out along my nerves. Telekinesis was the physical equivalent of my off and on telepathy. Except that the 'kinesis was purely physical. Then the scene changed abruptly and I gawked in shock.

It was the entry hall, but it was obviously different. The vast windows had been uncovered to let sunlight pour into the room and there were humongous planters of foliage like island of green in the darkly paneled space. There were extensive sitting areas set up like a hotel lobby, and there were desks and tables scattered among the couches and chairs. Before I could fully comprehend why I was there, all was revealed.

Bug tore into the room, nearly on all fours, moving impossibly fast. She actually went up the wall and made a fantastic leap into one of the planted trees. Hot on her heels was a small girl with a brilliant mane of red hair and a flowing tail. Squealing in delight, the girl repeated Bug's move. Behind her was a child more tiger cat than human, even more feline than the white twins. Ro skidded clumsily around the corner while Bug and the kids cheered her on. Shan teleported in above the tree, crashing into the branches and sending everyone involved scattering in all directions. A lynx-sized tiger cat skidded on the hardwood floor, thumping into Ro, who 'whuffed'. The orange cat laughed hysterically, a clear, girlish sound that carried over the pandemonium.

Those were… those were the triplets.

Ohmigod.

Then, I trotted out of the hall, my laughter mingling with the girl-cat's and the room began to grow hazy.

The last thing I saw clearly…

Was that I distinctly looked heavily pregnant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked this song for its words, especially for Dinah, as she features heavily here. Sometimes, it's okay to set down a heavy burden and catch your breath.
> 
> Takes a Little Time, by Amy Grant  
> Takes a little time sometimes  
> To get your feet back on the ground  
> Takes a little time sometimes  
> To get the Titanic turned back around  
> Takes a little time sometimes  
> But baby you're not going down  
> Takes more than you've got right now  
> Give it time
> 
> What's this walking through my door  
> I know I've seen the look before  
> Sometimes in faces on the street  
> Sometimes in the mirror looking back at me  
> You can't fix this pain with money  
> You can't rush a weary soul  
> You can't sweep it under the rug, now honey  
> It don't take a lot to know  
> (chorus)
> 
> Now it may not be over by morning  
> But Rome wasn't built in a day  
> You can name this thing a thousand times  
> But it won't make it go away  
> Let me put my arms around you  
> And hold you while you weep  
> We've been talking and talking  
> I'm sick of this talk  
> And it's nothing that won't keep  
> (chorus)
> 
> No you can't fix this pain with money  
> You can't rush a weary soul  
> You can't sweep it under the rug now honey  
> It don't take a lot to know  
> (chorus)


	19. There She Goes Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things around the manor take some unexpected twists...

++ Ro ++

Barbara'd taken to sleeping curled along my side at night lately, but right now, it was just me and the busy Bug in the infirmary.

I was bored out of my skull.

So I reminisced about my life, grinning faintly at the memory of the feel of Barbara's body, pressed against my upper half and the contraption wrapped around the lower. The numbness was terrifying, an absolute void from the middle of my back down. Bug had jury-rigged something that would transmit basic instructions to the Fleas, but it was the size of a toaster. So, Barbara slept with the device pressed between her belly and my hip. Everyone seemed pleased with how fast I was healing, so I kept myself sane on their positive energy.

And Babs was aglow with it. Walking had made her a whole different person. Freedom made her radiate energy. There had been nothing wrong with her as a person before, but the pleasure of wholeness made her incandescent.

The time had come for me to regain my legs too. Something told me that I was whole again, at least mostly. There wasn't anything I could do with the Fleas acting as neural blockers except beg Bug to reprogram them yet again. Unfortunately, Jan came in to see me first and I knew I couldn't charm Bug now. "Antsy, huh? You never were good at being sick. Not that you hardly ever were!" The familiar, throaty chuckle made me smile helplessly. Despite the trauma she'd suffered and the strangeness of her surroundings, Janelle had begun to recover remarkably well. I was delighted that she and Babs were becoming pals, as I really needed the brunette in my pack if she would stay. Since she was making no moves to leave, I was extremely hopeful.

"I feel strangely… whole," I tried to explain, scrubbing at my face in frustration. "Despite not being able to feel anything. This sensory deprivation is worse than pain. Now I know how Barbara must have felt all those years."

"Poor Boo," Jan murmured and reached out to ruffle my bangs back from my forehead. It was the first time she'd casually touched me since Doctor B had re-entered our lives all those years ago and I froze. So simple a touch, so many memories of her bubbling to the surface.

"I still love you, you know," said my voice in a deadly serious tone and Janelle stilled. "I love this new pack too, but it doesn't change my feelings for you." I suddenly faltered, unsure how to explain myself. "Well, it changes them, but it doesn't lessen them. I… I just wanted you to know that."

I had chickened out, to afraid to ask her to stay.

Both hoping and dreading that she would say yes.

 

++ Janelle ++

Ro couldn't know it, but I was already determined to stay. The proposition of the school that had Barbara so excited was an opportunity I couldn't refuse. My old life was a fading memory anyway, a surreal movie I'd been in once that mattered little now. There was no way I could go back, I'd seen and experienced too much. I'd made friends with young Carrie, lending my support while her mother stayed in a deep coma. A metahuman doctor friend of Alfred's was stopping in fairly frequently and we'd set up a more elaborate medical facility to her specifications. Kelly was physically sound, but had yet to leave her internal darkness. Hopefully, Davie could help with that.

And there were babies on the way! Cubs with the best physical attributes of their three donors. The daughters promised to be brilliant and wild. I'd love them as though they were my own, I was sure of it. Hell, I might ask Bug to have the Fleas do the same to me! As though conjured up by my thoughts, the small mutate padded into the room from the adjacent office and I was struck again by how much she moved like a nimble fox. It was a light, bouncy movement, like she could leap away at any given instant. Probably a good thing she couldn't teleport like the twins, or no one would be able to keep track of her. "Good morning, sweetie," I grinned warmly and she startled like she always did. The way this sweet girl had been treated by that monster… "I was wondering if I could get your opinion on something?"

"Sure," Bug murmured shyly.

"I gave Boo and Squeakers their own names years ago. Someone should do the same for you and Tiny."

That bombshell caught Bug completely off guard. Shan stepped in and beamed happily. "That's a kickin' idea! Gonna stick with the theme?"

"Of course. Bug, do you know where I got the idea for the twins' names?"

"A little," she admitted. "The author Anne McCaffery. But I've never been able to read her books, only find bits and pieces of information on the internet."

"Well, we'll have to get those books in your hands as soon as possible then," I chuckled, thrilled that she was warming up. "So, I've used Killshandra and Rowan, and they're both from different series. I thought I should give you the most important one."

Bug was completely hooked, standing close enough that I could pet her head. I could sense the delight of the twins. Tiny's big bulk was in the doorway, and he had his head cocked while he tried to keep track of the conversation. "The most important one?" Bug parroted uncertainly, but I could still sense her interest.

"Yes. The series was called the Dragonriders of Pern. You'd like them I think, they're very smart and engaging. My favorite character was a girl who came from a household that told her that she was worthless and useless. With the help of people who loved her, she found out that she was beautiful and extremely gifted." The tears in Bug's eyes were authentic. So were mine. "Her name was Menolly."

 

++ Shan ++

"Spankin'!" I crowed in delight. Bug… Menolly, looked thrilled and overwhelmed, so I went to her, purring. Nuzzling the thick, black hair tinged with fox silver, I murmured the name, giving her a chance to get used to it. "Still gonna call you Bug sometimes, because that's my special nickname for you."

The teasing earned a luminous smile and a crushing hug. After she squeezed me, it was Jan's turn, and she accepted the gesture with delighted laughter. "What about Tiny?"

As though sensing Bug's question, the big man crept in like a scared dog and whined antsy-pants under his breath. Jan eyed him levelly, mischief dancing in her dark eyes. "The Doona books, I think."

"Todd!" I crowed again, laughing. "Brilliant! What a perfect name for dog-boy here. Hey Tiny, can we give you the name Todd?" He looked confused but willing. Janelle looked fondly exasperated at me. "What?"

"I was going to say, Hriss, you goof. Though I suppose you're right, Todd is a better name."

"You're just lucky I didn't call him Tim," I chuckled and Janelle sighed melodramatically.

"Guys," Ro suddenly whined pathetically and we all looked over. "Please, please can we turn the Frankenstein machine off and see if I can stand? I'm starting to get really tweaky flashbacks."

All those years of being lab rats was too close to what she was going through and I was instantly all sympathy. "You sure you're ready to try this?"

"Pain would be a relief at this point. Just tell the numbing Fleas to go dormant for awhile and let's see what happens."

Even as I wondered if I should call Dinah, 'cause Davie was busy with Kelly; Bug bounced over to the contraption and started tapping keys. I took one hand and Jan the other, preparing for the worst.

It didn't take long.

Ro's features started to tense up and she hissed. The pressure on my hand increased and Ro's face took on a painful grimace. The expression was intense, but not dangerously so, and my alarm stayed within reasonable limits.

"Everything's off, Boo," Bug announced and looked up from the controls. "How are you feeling?"

"Honestly? Not nearly as bad as I would have thought. There's a helluva lot of strange tingling going on, but it's fading. In fact, it's fading fast."

 

++ Ro ++

I was being truthful with them. The stiff, achy pain throbbed shockingly where there had been only numbness, but the relief of sensation blunted it. Poor Binky hurt the worst, a burning poker stuck to my ass. Gritting my teeth and clamping down on the hands in mine, I forced the little brain to relay the message.

There was the distinct sensation of movement, way out at the twitchy tip.

Emotion rushed up and I sobbed in thanks that I wasn't permanently damaged. Feeling the remnants of the damage done to me while I was in Harley's thrall, I could only imagine how badly I would have hurt if I had been able to remember.

"Hey," Shan chuckle-purred. "Your toes just wiggled. Cowabunga! The Fleas win again! Think you might get your legs to work? We could surprise Babs and Hel-cat."

That was all the incentive I needed. It was terrifically difficult and I cursed and ranted until Bug's eyes were as big as saucers, but I eventually managed to sit up and dangle my legs over the side of the bed. Irritated nerves bitched and complained all along back, legs and tail, but I was mostly upright.

And, at long last, I was able to hug Janelle. She wept quietly, wedged in between my and Shan's much larger bodies. The familiarity of her was the last thing I needed to heal. The physical pain was easy to bear, knowing that she was whole and well. Now I just needed to find my new lovers and show them that I was okay.

That was when the most peculiar sensation shuddered through the building.

It was as though the manor itself had shivered in sympathy to some major and possibly traumatic event unfolding within its walls. All four of us mutates flinched and my ears flattened to my skull. "What the hell was that?"

"Dinah," Shan whispered and her face was traumatized at her loyalties being torn in two. Instantly, I grabbed her hair and gave a sharp tug to get her attention.

"Go get her. Jan's got me. Tiny and Bug can help me out."

"But…"

"Shan, it's okay."

It was a poignant moment, and I felt in that moment that perhaps we were letting each other go, just a little.

 

++ Barbara ++

Imagine my fear when Dinah suddenly went rigid, eyes wide and unseeing. I hesitated for a moment, absolutely at a loss for what I should do. Then the picture frames behind me began to rattle alarmingly and I knew I had to steer off the approaching telekinetic storm. When I grabbed her arm, electrical shocks rattled up from my hands and made my lizard brain whine in protest. She had never used her telepathy on me before, but I had a feeling that buzz was it. Even as I jerked my hands away, Dinah slumped forward, as though released from some paralyzing force. Whuffing with the effort of whatever she'd just been through, she grabbed the railing and swayed dramatically.

"God…" She murmured and I tentatively touched her arm again.

"Dinah?"

"I'm okay now. It was a vision. Someone important's at the door."

Thrown by the change in subject, I found myself looking back to the imposing front door. I had a feeling, an insidious miasma of almost-dread and a little relief and a whole lot of angry fear of who and what was behind that slab of carved wood. Alfred uncharacteristically hesitated for a moment, half looking over his shoulder as though gathering strength from our presence.

The door swung wide.

I knew it

The man always did have an impeccable sense of timing.

"M… Master Bruce," Alfred stammered.

"Why am I not surprised?" Helena's voice made us both jump. Calmly, she stepped out of the shadows to stand between us. Eyes on the open door, she continued softly, "it's time for the next step, partners. Time to step up and be a grown-up." The blue eyes flickered back and forth, a smile dancing beneath the uncharacteristic and welcome seriousness. "Let's go meet our visitors. Shall we? You too, Shan."

The tall albino also melted from the shadows, to step up to Dinah, and nuzzle-purr her. "Lead the way, Raf."

I barely saw Helena move, and was suddenly in her arms and plunging from the high landing. Effortlessly, the Huntress landed on her feet, barely stooping under our combined weight. There was a slap of sound behind us as Shan landed, and Dinah made a startled kitten noise.

Alfred seemed paralyzed for the moment, frozen in shock at the imposing figure filling the doorway.

 

++ Bruce Wayne ++

I had been gone a long time.

Such a long, long time.

Staring at my daughter and my flaming-haired protégé, I was only now beginning to realize how long. Helena was a gorgeous young woman now, lanky and feline, dark like me where her mother was pale. Proud and rigid with tension, those striking blue eyes so like mine pierced me, left me wounded and defenseless.

Then there was Barbara. Her still-muscular body rested in Helena's slim arms, the contrast between them startling. There was another pair of women behind them, still and silent with protective wariness. As strange as the tall one was, I dismissed them for now.

Helena's flashing gaze drew me back, pulled me in. She radiated power and surefootedness, a calm surety that her mother would have been so proud of. The angry stranger I had run from was no longer. This was the woman that Selena had raised, the true legacy of Catwoman.

Emotion closed up my throat; regret that she was a stranger, and a strange sense of… of…

Pride.

I knew then that if I never did anything right, ever again, I had this young woman as my best legacy.

Imagine my absolute shock when the corner of that full mouth quirked up. The likeness to the blonde woman that I had loved so deeply shook me. Yet… in some respects it was like looking in a mirror. Seeing her now, there was no doubt that she was indeed, my daughter.

"Come in, Bruce," Helena offered quietly, but with a thread of steel in her tone. Instantly, Barbara blinked up at her in shock and the pair hovering behind her relaxed. It was more than I had expected and more than I deserved.

"Thank you," I replied humbly and stepped into the familiar old foyer. The house was different, like the change that comes over an old man when he suddenly has grandchildren. My daughter and her companions had changed the feel of the place.

It wasn't until the ivory stranger behind Helena growled, that I remembered my companions.

 

++ Princess Diana, AKA Wonderwoman ++

The lanky albino feline woman buzzed with menace, a low, throaty growl that made the blonde girl in her arms look up sharply. She was stunning, this exotic creature made of muscle and moonlight. I tapped Bruce on the shoulder, and grinned when he looked at me. "And you said I wouldn't find anything familiar here," I teased gently and he actually grinned, just a little.

Helena shifted to set the red-head's feet on the floor, but kept her tight up against her ribs. I took note of the protective behavior even as the young woman offered a hand to me, and smiled coolly. "Helena Kyle."

Oh, she was a good one, a predator of gold and black, stealthy, dangerous and smart. Childhood still clung to her like a thin fog clings to the beach, but it was a faded memory. Whatever Bruce had expected in his estranged daughter, I'd bet this wasn't it. What a pleasant surprise. Taking the offered hand in a firm grip, I smiled warmly, the way I was taught to do to an equal. This woman, young as she was, held a position of leadership amidst these women and I respected that. "I am Diana, daughter of Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons. I come visiting from the island of Themiscrya to study this modern world of men. Fortunately, I encountered these two before I could completely confirm what our elders feared of this world." A gesture encompassed both Wayne and the man behind me. "I understand that you are the ones that stopped Harley Quinn. I applaud you."

None of them had been expecting that, their expressions were transparent. The albino beast-woman was still vibrating with stress, despite the look of curiosity in her violet eyes. Hmmm, she really was quite striking. Then the girl in her arms spoke and the white warrior jumped as though startled. "You okay?" That buzzing growl echoed up again, a stressed sound.

"Mikey?" Helena asked calmly and the feline woman shook her head like an agitated dog.

"You're not human," she accused, her striking eyes flickering from me to Clark, hovering close behind me. "You're close, but you're not human. Not exactly."

Now, I laughed in delight, partly from her candor, and partly because of the look of surprise I'm certain was on Clark's face. "Oh, it's been far too long since I've been around anything but ordinary humans. Thank you, Mikey, for reminding me of my home." It had the effect I was after as Mikey relaxed a fraction and stopped growling. "Your senses must be incredibly acute. I come from a place outside of the notice of the modern world. We Amazons and our allies have been isolated from your reality for several millennium. I imagine that I do, indeed, smell different. This is Clark Kent, and his story is his own to tell. I assure all of you that we mean no harm. In fact, we came to compliment you on your fine work protecting New Gotham and to offer a helping hand if it is needed."

 

++ Helena ++

My weird shit-o-meter was about pegged and I sighed heavily. "Mikey, stop hovering. Put Di down and come here."

Dinah giggled and they were suddenly flanking me. "Barbara Gordon, Killashandra Jones and Dinah Lance." Bet the sidekick looked surprised at me using her birth name. Good, she needed to get used to it, dammit. "You can understand that we're a little wary right now, but I'll have to trust that my father knows what he's doing. Please come in and make yourselves at home. You've caught us at an awkward time, as we're still healing and rebuilding. If you know about the hell Harley put us through, you can understand." It was a mystery where the diplomacy came from, but it was working miracles.

Then there was a scrape of sound and the visitor's gazes moved behind me and widened in shock. Whirling, I was greeted by a miracle. Ro, on her feet, leaning heavily on Janelle and Tiny, and beside them was the red-headed Kelly, who'd been in a coma, propped up by her crying daughter and equally emotional Carolyn. An exhausted Davie was pretty much being held up by Dick and they all looked happy enough to bust.

"Did we miss the party?" Ro smiled softly and I swept Barbara into my arms again and rushed over. Again dropping Barbara's feet to free up an arm, we carefully wrapped up both Ro and Janelle in a group hug.

"Missed you, Boo," I found myself sighing into her shirt and relishing the nuzzle in my hair. Barbara just sobbed, rubbing her face into Ro's chest and getting snuffle kisses on the crown and temples. A rustle of movement behind Ro alerted me that Bug was hiding there, shy and wary. So I reached out to touch her shoulder and neck in comfort and welcome. "I'm gonna need you guys," I whispered, oddly comfortable with admitting the need. "To get through this. Stay close."

Pressing a quick kiss to Ro's loving smile and plopping another in the corner of Barbara's wet eye, I patted Janelle and Bug, before stepping away from their combined warmth.

"We haven't had any time to really do anything with the place yet," Dinah was explaining awkwardly as I walked back to her.

"But we will," I added solemnly, touching the teen's arm and smiling when she jumped. "Since we're opening a school here once everything settles down."

It was the first time the subject had been brought up to the group at large and Dinah started with surprise. "A school?"

"Sure. You and Gabby still have finals to pass." The comment earned the mock scowl I was after. "Seriously, I'm sick of metas having no safe place to go. It'll be a regular private school, with a metahuman twist."

"Cowabunga," Dinah grinned and I returned my attention to my elders still hovering near the door. Alfred, looking alarmed and proud, Diana and Clark Kent looking curious and a little startled, and the unreadable stone of the man who had fathered me.

"Maybe, you can help teach them someday."

 

++ Bruce ++

So much like her mother…

My heart ached just looking at her.

Slim, proud and sinuous, she had leapt from that tall balcony and effortlessly landed, even with Barbara's weight in her arms. It was a near-physical pain to look at her, and see the ghost of Selena hovering so close.

Yet… in this dark-haired young woman I saw something I had never expected to see.

I saw the best and worst of myself.

The shock of it rooted me to the spot. My stoic intensity mirrored in this slim feline of a woman. My bull-headed and sometimes self-destructive drive burning in crystal blue eyes. That old Wayne charm in the faint curve of her full mouth. The reality of my parenthood had never really sunk home until this exact moment. Something within me shifted, a deep, primitive urge that drew me to her, not entirely differently than her mother had drawn me. Would she let me be part of her life? Even after being such a fuck-up?

Could I do it?

Then Helena nonchalantly announced that a school was to be opened inside these lonely old walls. Every ghost in the place perked up, even me. A school? Here?

It was a magnificent idea, inspired even. Children thundering through these halls, lessons learned, egos molded by people who cared about them. Some of the old, old glaciers around my heart thawed a little at the thought.

When Helena wryly returned my smile, my heart thawed further, a foreign sense of peace settling over me. While my future may not lie in New Gotham, perhaps I might still be able to play a part here.

++ Barbara ++

I hadn't pulled my face away from Ro's warm throat, ear on her shoulder, the thick stripe of fur on her jugular tickling my nose and cheek. Honestly, I didn't want to step away from the safety of her warmth. I'd had too many shocks in too short a period of time and Rowan Jones was my common denominator since Helena was busy elsewhere.

"Can you forgive him?"

It was breathed almost soundless-soft against my ear, harmonized on that intoxicating purr. The thrill up my newly repaired spine almost let me ignore the question.

Could I forgive him…

Could I?

Memories washed over me. As a girl, I'd had such a crush on suave and debonair Bruce Wayne, the way girls were wont to do. Inspired by an irrepressible crush on Gotham's shadowy super-hero, a world-class gymnastics talent, a bastard of a biological donor, my beloved police commissioner adopted dad, and a real addiction to the thrill of danger… I became Batgirl. Imagine my shock when I finally found out that my two idols were one and the same.

Imagine my anguish when my idol, my mentor and friend, deserted me when I needed him most. Selena, dead in the rain, leaving sweet, adolescent Helena shattered. Behind my door, my greatest fear, the beast of a grinning madman I hated… the ear-splitting retort of the bullet that I'd wished a thousand times had killed me then and there.

Eight years of carrying that pain, long after the physical healing was done. Thank whatever gods looked over fools like me that I hadn't turned away Helena's and Ro's offer of succor to my heart and body. "Maybe I can. Thank you, Ro."

"My pleasure. Now, can we find me a place to sit? I'm dyin' here."

Concerned for her, I stepped back and we moved toward the kitchen. I had to admit that I was perversely amused by Bruce's gasp of astonishment. "What the hell?"

Let him figure out the miracle of my legs on his own. Or swallow his damnable pride and actually ask.

 

++ Davie ++

So here was the famous Batman. As much as I hated to admit it, I could see why he was well-known for leaving a lasting impression. In addition to being physically imposing, he also radiated a singular intensity that I recognized in both Barbara and Helena. Sending out casual feelers of telepathy, I tried to pick up on the surface noise of his mind. There was more of it than I had expected, sharp with his shock over Barbara actually walking. The Amazon flanking him was processing everything, no shock value at all. Very interesting.

It was this Clark Kent that was freaking me out. He was a blank. Like looking at fog, you know something's there, but you can't see it. Not human indeed. I'd stake my telepathy on Shan's assessment of this ordinary-looking man.

When Dick finally stepped forward to greet Bruce Wayne, I was forced to automatically move forward with him. I hated to admit what a good team I made with the man, but it was true and I knew it. Stopping at Shan's side, I reached out mentally first, to soothe her agitation. " _Mikey, it's okay. We're right here, nothing's going to happen. We're right here._ "

As though sensing my broadcast, Dinah reached up to cup a fuzzy cheek and Shan reluctantly tore her eyes away from the strangers. It was kinda cute, watching Dinah tug Shan down for a gentle, almost chaste kiss. She even licked the tip of Shan's nose when they separated. I heard the echo of the teen's strange touch-telepathy in her soft, " _right here_." Shooing Shan off to follow Ro out of the room, Dinah turned to me, taking my weight from Dick. "Y'know, I never apologized for smashing your telepathic shields down back at Harley's place."

The comment was very left field, and I scowled. "Donny, don't you apologize for desperately reaching out for help. Sure it was totally unexpected and rattling, but it was also very effective."

Grinning in relief, Dinah surprised me again, wrapping me in a strong hug. "You're the best Davie. I'm looking forward to you teaching me." And, with that, she bounced off to rejoin Helena.

Awww man… so much for sneaking off to resume the life of a wanderer…

 

++ Dinah ++

I felt torn in too many directions. Davie's kindness, Shan's stress, my mom and her new family, the gorgeous stranger looking at my girlfriend with that… that look. Arrgh! It annoyed me that duty won out, and I quietly followed Helena and our guests into the kitchen. Alfred bustled off, muttering something about tea while the rest of us hovered in the uncomfortable quiet. The twins and Barbara were missing and the two new mutates looked spooked. Couldn't blame them…

Janelle suddenly sighed heavily and turned on the charm. "Please sit, everyone. We'll answer whatever questions we can. Barbara and the twins are resting in the next room."

That had been nearly three days ago.

Things had started happening fast, with lots of catching up to do and an endless amount of work to be done in preparation of converting Wayne Manor for communal living and educational areas. Barbara had imperiously ordered Gabby and I off to our alma mater to take care of our missing finals just yesterday and my brain was still tired. The halls of NG High felt more foreign than usual, echoing and empty with all the students gone for summer. Miss Haller hadn't been too thrilled about sitting with just the two of us all day while we waded through our tests, but at least she'd been unobtrusive. Once finished, we'd dragged our tired butts off to the airport to pick up Gabby's family, avoiding any side trips that might have us encountering our friends. It was great to see the rest of the Andersons happy and tanned from their vacation in California, and we'd tried our hardest not to look tired and heartsick.

Since Gabby was once again curled up with our little pack, we'd done well enough. I couldn't sleep, but stared at the ceiling and tried to ignore the feel of Shan and Gabby pressed up against me. Apollo had started sneaking in at night, unnerved by all the people in his territory. He was a dark patch next to Shan's pale head.

Too wired to sleep, I somehow managed to wiggle out of the dogpile, pausing to study my companions. Now was not the time to get caught up in their softness…

Shaking off the warmth inside and out, I pulled Shan's favorite shirt over my light pajamas and slipped out. It was a testament to skill and trust that Shan didn't even stir. The scent of poptarts led me down the hall, around the corner and to the main thoroughfare that the main kitchen branched off of. Voices reached me with the increase of the sweet pastry smell.

"I never expected that there'd be so much paperwork," Helena complained as I peeked around the doorjamb. There was quite a crowd there, burning the midnight oil. "Are you sure about your contacts, Gibson?"

"Of course," he cackled. "Don't worry your pretty head, my dear. The waiting game and the details are going to keep us occupied now, isn't that why you brought me in on this?"

"No, I just live for your flattery," Helena deadpanned. None of the laughter disturbed Ro, sprawled back in her specially made lounge chair, feet up on the extended footrest, Binky curling lazily where it puddled on the floor beneath her. Barbara was sprawled along one side, Janelle the other. It was awful cute. That was a strange pack in the making, but then again… look who I was sleeping with.

 

++ Helena ++

Flashing Di a welcoming grin, I waved a poptart at her enticingly.

"You'd share?" She mocked lightly and I chuckled.

"Hey, I share," I leered and drew her gaze to my lovers with my own. Her blush made me chortle to myself evilly. That look was definitely worth sacrificing one of my treats for.

"Pig," she grumbled and ignored the snickers. It was a diverse crowd tonight; Bruce, Dick, Davie, Carolyn, Gibson, Kelly and Diana.

"Ignore her," Dick grinned. "She's a pain in the ass."

"Yep," I agreed happily and gestured Dinah to sit. "Park it and toss in your two cents." Now she was looking at me like I had grown two more heads.

"What happened to you? Seriously, you never used to listen to me."

Sighing, I slung an arm around her shoulders and looked into the wary blue eyes. When the hell had she started getting so damn tall? "That's because I was an ass. I know I made your first year kinda suck here, but I had some misguided idea that I had to test you or something. I mean, maybe I did, but I was a jerk about it. I'm sorry. You turned out better than anyone could have asked for." She was so easy to please; my words making her glow like a happy puppy. Man, I really had been an ass to her. Keeping my grip around her neck, I addressed the rest of the group. "Did you guys see the news footage of our fight with Poison Ivy? Junior Batgirl here was the star of the show, even competing with the tailed wonders." There was a welcoming murmur from them and Dinah blushed darker, doing that habitual nervous gesture of tucking her hair behind her ear. "Made you look bad, big brother. Dunking your ride and your partner in the drink."

There was much snickering as Dick ducked and self-consciously rubbed the side of his head. "So, I'm a little rusty."

There was a strange lull, like a slow-mo sequence in a movie, so that the audience couldn't miss a millisecond of the unfolding sequence. The mutual body language, so similar. The same-colored eyes. Unwittingly, my memory pulled up a memory of Carolyn Lance the way she had looked last year when she had showed up in New Gotham to retrieve Dinah. Before the fire and time has altered her so drastically. Then I stared at Dick Grayson, boyishly handsome with a smile to match, dark hair like me, and clear blue eyes. Then I stared at Dinah, looking at me curiously, only inches away.

"I see it too," Bruce said quietly and I glanced at him before we both looked to Carolyn. There was a strange look on her face, that puzzled expression that she wore when important memories were swimming up from the darkness of amnesia. Both Davie and Kelly were touching her in concern.

 

++ Carolyn ++

The flashbacks were disorienting, but I had learned to just ride them out.

Screaming with laughter, high as kites on adrenaline and battle-lust, nearly sick with it; we sprawled out in the sitting room we'd commandeered ages ago. Barbara was actually crying, she was laughing so hard, gripping her ribs and writhing on the couch. Dick wasn't much better, doubled over with merriment. I had claimed my usual lounge chair and was carrying on along with them. Since Bruce was still out, no doubt trying to regain his wounded dignity, we were getting it out of our systems before he came home.

It was a whole domino effect of events that had us all so giddy. It had been a long time since I'd run the rooftops of New Gotham, and it had been a glorious night. I'd been undercover in the Hawke clan for nearly five years, gathering evidence to break the mob family. Just six weeks into the new year, the courts had locked them all away.

All except Al Hawke, that filthy bastard. The thought sobered me up a little, but I really wanted to hold on to this drugging happiness. I had returned to my old teammates to celebrate, and surrounded by my two favorite bats and a handsome red bird, I'd flown free in the darkness. Watching Bruce completely lose his dignity had made us 'kids' run for cover before carrying on like a pack of wild hyenas.

Everyone likes to see a teacher fuck up. We're only human after all. Sometimes Bruce seemed so much larger than life, we would forget he was just… Bruce. It was also hugely entertaining to see Batgirl and Robin, still in their oh-so-serious costumes, cracking up like naughty kids. Our masks lay tangled in a messy pile on the table. Barbara managed to control herself enough to stand up, wiping at her tears with a heavily gauntleted hand. "I don't know about you guys, but I need a drink."

Abruptly, I was back in the kitchen, present tense, and blinked owlishly. Dick, nearly twenty years older, Barbara, blinking awake where she was still sprawled across Ro. Dinah, still held protectively beneath Helena's arm, both of them curious and patient. Then back to Dick, seated kitty-corner to our old teacher. As I stared at the handsome man, almost middle age, that he'd become, the past continued to play out behind my eyes.

Looking back, I could see that a bunch of factors caused it. Euphoria at locking up most of the Hawke clan and hanging out with my treasured pals, disappointment in not catching Al, fear of being alone. And, only now, could I see that I'd really wanted Barbara, but never thought to take that chance.

And she couldn't have given me the greatest gift of my life. The gift that I'd squandered, and miracle of miracles, had been given a second chance at. My sweet and amazing daughter, now a young woman.

"Dick," I said woodenly, knowing the chaos that was going to ensue, but determined to pay for all of my lies. "There was a reason I left so suddenly all those years ago, and never told any of you why." Now Barbara was sitting up, her face a caricature of curiosity and growing shock. "That night when Bruce tripped and fell? And we went back and got so drunk, none of us hardly remembered what the hell we had been doing the night before?" Some part of him knew what I was getting at, but it was taking awhile to sink in. Davie gasped in shock as my brain broadcast the news before my mouth could shape the words. "I woke up before you did, and snuck out. I'm so sorry, I just felt like such an idiot. And about three months later…" I couldn't continue, gesturing lamely at Dinah, barely able to meet Dick's shocked eyes. "I'd been lying for so long, that I couldn't stop. I'm so sorry."

Father and daughter looked at each other in mutual astonishment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are coming full circle now, and this song makes me think of that. Especially dealing with Bruce's conflicted feeling on Selina and Helena. The perverse twist of the Dinah-Carolyn-Dick connection is Amy's fault…
> 
> There She Goes Again, by Sixpence None the Richer  
> There she goes  
> There she goes again   
> Racing through my brain  
> And I just can't contain  
> This feeling that remains
> 
> There she blows  
> There she blows again  
> Pulsing through my vein  
> And I just can't contain  
> This feeling that remains
> 
> There she goes  
> There she goes again  
> Racing through my brain  
> And I just can't contain  
> This feeling that remains
> 
> There she goes  
> There she goes again  
> She calls my name  
> She pulls my train  
> No one else could heal my pain  
> And I just can't contain  
> This feeling that remains
> 
> There she goes  
> There she goes again  
> Chasing down my lane  
> And I just can't contain  
> This feeling that remains


	20. Time Goes By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinah and Shan at last gets some real healing done and Janelle keeps a promise.

++ Barbara ++

A shocked silence fell over the room at the stammered, broken announcement. A thousand pieces fell into place, things that had never made sense at the time. Things about why and how Carolyn had left us a second time. Things about Dinah that had always seemed oddly familiar. Then Helena suddenly burst into peals of delighted laughter and swept Dinah into a bone-crunching hug. "Hey! You really are family!" Then she set Dinah down, nearly making the girl stumble, and wagged a finger at Dick, leering suggestively. "Dick, you dirty old dog you."

It worked at breaking up the paralyzing tension. I don't know how it worked, but it did. Somehow Dinah and Dick looked at each other, really seeing the other for the first time. "That was more than eighteen years ago," Dick muttered stupidly and I flashed Dinah a sharp look. She winced a bit and muttered in that same tone.

"October third." At stereo confusion from all but me and her mom, Dinah elaborated. "I'll turn eighteen. Jeez, mom, why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Carolyn growled bitterly and we all winced at the tone. "I screwed up everything else, why not that important little tidbit of information too?"

Then, something astonishing thing happened. An angry, protective look darkened Kelly's face and her thick accent cut through the quiet like a machete. "Now, look here, Dinah-girl, this ain't none of my business, but you should be grateful that your father here is a good man. My baby's father is a bastard of the worst kind. There's a damn good reason I've been on the run for more than twelve years. Maybe she shoulda told you, sure, but fear makes people do stupid, stupid things. Things that they regret down the road."

Then something even more astonishing happened. Dinah's face screwed up in wounded concentration for a moment and Helena flashed me a helpless look. Then, abruptly, Dinah's head snapped up. "That's why you did everything, isn't it, mom? You were afraid?"

"Yes," Carolyn said quite clearly, despite the agony on her face. "I'd been so scared for so long, that I forgot how to deal with it. Bruce, you taught us to use fear as a force to hone ourselves against, but I was petrified every minute of every day when I was undercover with the Hawkes. It was as though I couldn't unlearn it, I wasn't strong enough. So I took refuge in you two, Barbara, Dick." I was startled to be included in this. "I lost myself in Dinah for those good years, letting her act as a barrier to all that fear and pain and screw-ups."

"Then you found the bomb under my bed," Dinah stated flatly.

"Yes," Carolyn confessed and covered her face.

"And sent me to the Redmonds."

"Yes! And then there was nothing to keep me from running and running and running. Only to come back too late, so scared when I figured out you were here, in New Gotham. God, what Al Hawke would have done to you…" She was crying openly now. "I'm so sorry."

 

++ Dinah ++

Well, I'd always been curious who my father was. Before mom had given me up, I had pestered her off and on to tell me about him, but was stonewalled every time. With little to no information to go on, I had spent my childhood blaming myself.

But now I had all the pieces.

And a decision to make.

Dammit, the glass in the room was starting to rattle. It took a conscious effort to calm my telekinesis, praying that Helena wouldn't remove her anchoring arm. My mother was hunched into herself, crying out a lifetime of hurt and lies and denial. Kelly was glowering at me, and I returned the look full force. Later, much later, I would be shocked that the strong woman dropped her eyes almost instantly. Then I raised my pleading gaze to my dark hero, the woman I measured myself against. Helena smiled, a soft, bittersweet expression. "It's okay to be pissed, kid," she said quietly, soberly. "But it's okay to be a little happy too. Maybe relieved, a little confused. All that crap is normal. But I'll tell you something that it took me too damn long to learn. If you can find in yourself to forgive, it'll heal all the ragged edges. It'll take a long time, but you can still be pissed and happy and confused while the forgiveness really sinks in. Y'know that, right?" It was the sweetest, most insightful thing anyone had ever said to me and I stared in astonishment at Helena. Then she shrugged and shifted her gaze to the other end of the table. "Besides, now we've both got fathers that maybe we can be friends with."

She didn't have to voice the rest of what was running through her mind. I could feel it almost as clearly as though I had telepathically read her. At least I had a mom.

Selena Kyle's ghost was very powerful in the moments where I wrestled with myself.

In the end, there was only one choice. Plopping a sloppy kiss on Helena's cheek, I ducked away from her and went to my mother. Kneeling beside her, I clamped down on my power and cupped her cheek, forcing her to look at me. "It's okay mom, I'm starting to understand what happened. I forgive you. We'll get through this. I'm not going to let anything come between us again."

 

++ Shan ++

The story had shocked me.

Shocked me almost as much as a very aggressive Dinah waking me up later that fateful morning, kissing me like we'd be separated forever. I'd soothed her down, worried that she was turning to me to avoid her own pain. So, I'd stopped her advances, but even gentleness hadn't prevented the confused hurt in her eyes.

That was a week ago and we seemed to be stuck at some kind of emotional stalemate. Gabby felt as helpless as I did at Dinah's bristling at us and Bug was so unnerved that she was avoiding all of us. No one slept in that big bed anymore, just passed out wherever there was a soft spot. My body desperately missed the press of their combined warmth.

Especially Dinah's.

We were all caught up in the whirlwind of getting the school ready, and personal needs were set aside for the greater good.

So why did I feel so lousy?

Ro noticed my agitation, but I couldn't vocalize the ephemeral bullshit between me and Dinah. She was such a study in contrasts, limping with the pain of what she'd been through, yet tall and strong in the face of it. I felt shut out, and that mutual pain even kept me and Gabby from drawing strength from each other.

Casey the reporter had been brought in to track our progress for posterity and I felt like a documentary in the making. I hated it. It was like being a lab rat all over again and I pulled away further. Seeing Ro and the rest of her strange little intimate pack so blissfully happy only made me feel more out of place.

It came to a head when I growled at my twin.

My twin. The woman who I shared everything with! But that had been before…

Before Dinah was keeping me at arm's length.

Before the precious triplets that made Barbara glow.

Before Miss Honey came back.

Before… I could hardly bear to think about it…

Before I had been fully prepared to kill Harley Quinn.

I could still feel her slowing heartbeat pulsing against my palms, her breath rasp beneath the press of the webbing between thumb and fingers. The horror of those minutes I knew Ro to be dead still haunted me.

And everyone was too busy to notice.

 

++ Helena ++

It had been nearly two days since I'd seen my partner and I was too worried to sleep. Something was wrong with her and I needed to find out what. Slithering out of the bed, I crept into the bathroom to pull on some clothes and slip out. No one in the bed stirred and I was smug that I still had the feline mojo.

The roof was my first destination. There was just something about cats and roofs. In the sultry August night, I stood very still and reached out with my senses. Shan had growled pissily at Ro earlier this evening, startling my lover. It seemed like no one but me had realized that there had been some actual menace in the sound.

"Dammit Leo," I muttered to myself, disgusted with her obtuseness.

"Yeah, I got that," came an entirely unexpected voice and I whirled around. I had been trying so hard to find Shan that she was right under my damn nose. "What do you want?"

"Outta character much, Mikey?"

"Yeah well…" Her voice trailed off lamely and she moved away. But the first foray had been made, and I pressed my advantage.

"Running away doesn't make anything any easier. I learned that the hard way. When I finally stood still, I found out that I could deal a helluva lot better than I thought I could." While I couldn't see Shan anymore, I could feel her close by, silent in the darkness. "I'm not gonna lecture you, partner, because that's bullshit. I do want you to know that you're not alone and shunning the rest of us is hurting everyone."

"Me?!" She hissed angrily, suddenly standing up, Slinky lashing around like a dropped fire hose at full blast. "Me? What the hell is your damn problem! Everyone else is too damn happy to help me! I dropped back because I have nowhere to turn!"

Sympathy flooded me at the obvious evidence of the twin's past catching up with them. "Aw Shan, you can come to me. C'mon, you goof, I'm your partner and I adore you. Did you really think your cuddlebunny angst and the babies were gonna change that?"

"Yes," she sulked and sank back into a crouch. So I moved to where I could see her, arms wrapped around slender shoulders like she was cold. I sidled over until we were almost touching and dropped into an identical crouch.

"Mikey, this is just a phase. All the school crap that has to be hammered out, and Dinah being so weird. I mean, c'mon, she's had a ton of crap dumped on her in a very short period of time and is keeping her mom and Davie busy." Something occurred to me suddenly. "This is about Davie too, isn't it? Shit, I can be a dumbass. She's keeping her 'pathy toned to almost nil until she gets used to so many people in the manor and hasn't noticed you getting more stressed. And the rest of us have been kinda ignoring you. I'm sorry, Shan. We'll change."

That made a difference. I had been looking at a scared little girl, raised like an animal in a cage, and now the Shan I knew was coming back to her eyes. "You mean it?"

"I promise. Now, c'mere."

She snuggled into my hug, sighing heavily, like she was setting a heavy load down. "I gotta lot of stuff I need to talk about."

"So start talking and we'll watch the sun come up."

"Thanks Raf."

"Hey, anything for family, bro."

 

++ Janelle ++

"I'm worried we'll never get through all of this."

The comment came out of left field and made me blink owlishly at Barbara. We'd been slaving feverishly over all the details in opening a legitimate school for what felt like forever. The red-head was staring into space, glasses low on her nose. Coming back from the far-off stare, she snatched the lenses off and glowered accusingly at them.

"And these damn things don't work anymore. Guess I need a new prescription, huh?"

"Or the Fleas have fixed whatever was wrong with your vision." My suggestion made her double-take and I chuckled. "Oh, don't look so surprised, Babs. The little buggers will make you as perfect as they know how."

Her face squinched up into a slightly uncomfortable scowl. "It still freaks me out a little."

"A little? You're stronger than I am. The couple times the twins used them on me, I had the heebie-jeebies."

"They used them on you?"

"Sure. Only twice, thankfully. The first winter they were with me, we were still having trouble communicating clearly and I ended up dropping half-dead with pneumonia. It was stupid, really. I knew better, but let myself get so caught up in them, that I stopped paying attention to my body's signals." Relaxing into the story, I leaned away from our endless paperwork and let memories wash over me. "The second time was a combo of things. Russell, my big baby of a workhorse, was as stolid and stodgy as they come. So he didn't startle easily. I had my hand half under his halter, I think I was scratching him, and the twins came barreling in. They were just goofing off, but for some strange reason startled Russell. When he jerked away, he managed to break three bones in my hand." In a flurry of sudden energy, I leapt to my feet and stretched. "C'mon, let's go have Menolly check the Fleas."

"Okay," Barbara agreed and carefully climbed to her feet. It was fun to watch her relearn the daily joys and trials of having working legs again. We'd been getting to be pretty good pals, but were still avoiding the giant pink elephant standing on both of our feet.

Rowan Jones.

She had been splitting her times as best she could between me and her two superheroes. At the most random times, I'd woken to find her big, warm body coiled around me, but Helena and Barbara still took up the bulk of her time. Slipping beneath the later's arm and getting a warm grin; I knew that Barbara wasn't the problem.

It was Helena.

And it wasn't so much a problem, as the inability we seemed to have in finding a connecting point.

 

++ Barbara ++

From the pensive look on Janelle's face before she grinned and helped me out, I knew exactly what she had been thinking about. For a teacher of small children, the woman had a lousy poker face. So I picked a slightly safer subject. "I'm worried about Shan. She seems a little prickly and withdrawn lately."

"She's tweaking over Dinah," Janelle answered readily as we walked down the hallway together. "She's never adored someone completely on her own before. And now she has a crippling case of puppy love."

I had to chuckle over the mocking way she said the last two words.

"Is that what it is?"

Both of us stopped dead in our tracks at the unexpected voice. Dinah sounded weary and pained. We exchanged 'oh shit' looks and turned to face the teen. She looked worn out, decades older than her nearly eighteen years. These recent weeks had been hard on her.

"Honey," Janelle said in her kindest voice. "I didn't mean it the way it may have sounded."

Rubbing her face roughly, Dinah sighed and my heart ached at the sound. "Yeah, okay."

She sounded anything but okay and I pulled away from Janelle to step closer to Dinah. "Hey, c'mon, Di, it's me, Barbara. You don't have to do this alone. Or with just Davie and your mom. I'm family now, remember? I'm here for you for the bad times too."

Nervously, she did the hair tuck, and actually stepped back so that I was just at the edge of her personal space, unsure of what to do now.

"Yeah, I know. But everyone has to be patient. I can only deal with so much so fast." Two familiar figures appeared at the end of the hall. Helena, looking sober, and Shan, calm and yet agitated, Slinky dancing in the air behind her. Half-turning, Dinah directed her voice at all of us. "Just be patient. Please."

My heart ached at the way her voice broke on the last word, the way she rushed past Janelle and I, the way that Shan reached helplessly for her, hand falling uselessly to her side after a moment.

Then Davie stepped out of the same doorway, firing all of us a deep, fathomless look. "If I could erase that one's pain, I would. But it would make her less than she is. I never expected to play the role of therapist, but whatever works."

"It's hard to just stand by," Shan replied with false calm and Davie softened.

"Shan, you make her feel really intensely, and she has too much to deal with right now. That girl's bottled up a lifetime of craziness and when she starts to stress, she breaks things."

Comprehension was starting to dawn, and I felt like an idiot. The same expression was on Helena's and Shan's faces. The telekinesis…

"Now you understand better," Davie said wisely. "Like me, she can't 'turn off' her power, and only rigid self-control can keep it contained. It's an astonishing ability that young woman has. Not only does she have some serious shit to process, but she has to learn to control the 'kinesis and touch-telepathy as well."

"Just be patient," Shan said miserably and Davie did something uncharacteristic and grabbed Shan in a bear hug. Shan grumble-sobbed into the fierce embrace. We all moved in closer in response to both her confusion and pain, as well as our own.

"It's hard, Dav, just standing around, and I think I might love her and I feel so helpless."

The confession made me hurt for her, wishing for the umpteenth time that our lives could be simple just once.

"She knows that," Davie reassured her friend. "It's one of the things that keeps her going."

 

++ Gabby ++

"Ouch!" My voice carried around the Batcave, setting the bats rustling over my head. The place was still creepy, but I was mostly used to it by now. Sucking on the finger I'd let wander too close to the soldering iron, I leaned away from the Delphi and sighed.

"You okay?" Shan's voice knocked a decade off my life and I squeaked as I jerked around to stare up at her.

"Man, you are gonna make me old before my time," I whined, relishing the small smile that danced in the corners of her lately-too-serious mouth. "You're too damn quiet."

Arching an eyebrow, Shan whipped Slinky out and sent half my tools clattering loudly to the stone floor. "Better?"

For a moment, I was too shocked to react. Then the absurdity over what she had done and the stress of the last few weeks bubbled up. In seconds I was laughing so hard I was in tears, the happy sound echoing around the cave.

By the time I started to wind down, I found myself curled up in my pal's lap, and I realized that I was more crying than laughing. Torn in a hundred emotional directions, I clung to Shan's strong body and let it out.

It took awhile to realize that she was doing the same. It was easy to be honest with Shan; there was so little pretense in her. "Missed you," I whispered, clinging all the tighter, and squeaked when she squeezed me.

"Yeah, I kinda missed me too."

That soft comment made me shift to grab her in a crushing hug that made her squeak in return. "Okay, partner, now what?"

"Well," Shan mused. "With Dinah off on whatever her errand is, there's no way any of us can deal with that particular baggage." Her melancholy smile made me squeeze her again. "How about I give you a hand with your Oracle homework?"

The day passed quietly while me and Shan worked on the Delphi and goofed off. Even in such a short time under Oracle's tutelage, I had learned a ton about the amazing machine. With Shan's genetically-engineered brains backing me up, we made some real progress, and had a ton of fun doing it. My stomach growled at me again and I had to wonder how long I could ignore it, when Shan suddenly crowed, "Bug!"

My head came up to peer over the console to watch Menolly flinch, but gamely accept the sweeping hug that Shan wrapped her up in. "Hi Squeakers. Alfred is making macaroni and cheese. Are you hungry?"

"Starved. C'mon, OJ, vittles await!"

Watching Menolly smile shyly at me from under her big sister's arm, I realized that I needed to spend more time with her. So I let Shan gather me up under her other arm and away we went.

 

++ Dinah ++

They sounded happy.

And I felt so apart from them.

I'd been gone for nearly a week, off finding myself or whatever it was that I had been doing. Wandering the hot, crowded urban jungle of Los Angeles had been therapeutic in a strange way. There had been several reasons that I had visited that particular place, but now wasn't the time to reminisce. Now, I had to screw up enough courage to do what I needed to do.

Shan was crowing wildly, while Gabby and Bug screamed with laughter, the barn noises morphing into monkey calls. A smile almost made my face hurt.

"It's not too late."

Jerking around in shock, I stared into the shadows where Ro had materialized. Languidly, she stepped up beside me; arms crossed casually and looked in the direction where her sister's wildness echoed through the manor. I couldn't take my eyes off my partner. After a moment, she looked at me, nothing but sweet kindness in her gaze.

"They're still waiting for you. They'll always wait for you. You're family now, and forever is a small price to pay. Did you find what you needed? It sure looks like you found something you were missing." I so badly wanted to believe her, searching the calm violet eyes for reassurance. A small smile curled Ro's mouth and she leaned over to breathe on me. It was a primitive, animal gesture that calmed me and I willingly rubbed my cheek against hers.

"Yes," I finally managed to rasp around the choking lump in my throat, anchored by the feel of her silky cheek on mine. "It was isolation without being alone."

"Yeah, I know how that can be helpful." Pulling away a bit, Ro smiled indulgently at me. "Do you know some of the things I like about you?" Mute from emotion, I could only shake my head. "Your strength and your honesty."

Me? She couldn't be serious. It seems that all I could feel was dishonest cowardice. Ro chuckled gently, a throaty purr of affection.

"You aren't always honest and you aren't always strong. That's okay. I admire you for being able to be both. I didn't have a lot of positive role models growing up." The expressive roll of her eyes made me smile at the understatement. "But I sure do now. Don't care that you're scared and seventeen, I still admire you."

It was possibly the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me and I let the cooped up sob loose as I threw my arms around her neck and squeezed. "Thank you, Ro," was all I could whisper around the lump in my throat.

Dunno if it was telepathy or a tiny scratch of sound or just my deep, deep awareness of her, but I just knew that Shan was standing right behind me. Feeling oddly guilty, I stepped away from Ro, embarrassment making my face flame. There was a tense quiet in the hall, Slinky dancing as though it couldn't decide if it was agitated or not.

'Your strength and your honesty,' Ro's words echoed in my mind and I swallowed hard. When I raised my gaze to Shan's shadowed eyes, I could see what all this had caused her. There was a wariness that seemed so alien to her, and it made my heart hurt.

"Can we talk?" I heard my voice whisper hoarsely and Shan gestured me to precede her to a quieter section in the manor. It was an uncomfortable walk, suffocating emotions like diesel fumes in my face.

 

++ Shan ++ 

Hoping I wasn't being self-destructive, I quietly followed Dinah to the front of the manor. We'd been doing this dance for an awful long time and I was beginning to question whatever the hell was going on between us. Not to mention the last week, where we had all wondered where she had gone and if she was ok.

But despite all my conflicted emotions, it still hurt to watch Dinah wander aimlessly to the enormous windows that flanked the front door, hugging herself as though she was worried that she would fly apart if she didn't hang on for dear life.

"I've shut you out," she whispered, focusing my attention. I made myself stand still, just out of reach, and listen. "And walked out with no explanation. I'm sorry, Shan." I could hear her tears, smell them sharp and saline, nearly tasted them in the still air. "Everything's just been… so overwhelming. I just needed some time to think."

Something occurred to me.

Without thinking about the repercussions, story of my life, I stepped in close, grabbing Di's hand where her arms tucked it close to her body. In an almost dance-like hold, I tucked her against my body, staring deep into the expressive blue eyes. I stroked her bare hand with my fingers, brought those cool fingers to my face. "Show me, Dinah. Make me a part of you. Shared pain is a burden lessened."

Startled doubt danced in her eyes, her hand trembled.

"Share with me."

It hit like a flash flood and the last thing I felt was my breath suck into my lungs in a gasp of astonishment.

Brutal, burning pain, like molten glass and wood splinters pounding through my veins. That more recent torture swirled in a maelstrom with far older hurts that my body had suffered. The cold, cold gaze of the monster that had inflicted the inhumane agonies. No creature should have to endure what we had. Harley's madness, her ability to turn those we loved to mindless puppets. It was a suffocating tidal wave of memories and hurts.

I dug my toes into the sand and prepared to face the oncoming wave, knowing it would crush me, but standing defiantly nonetheless. Dinah struggled there with me, in this nightmarish landscape that barely made sense. We stood together, her hand feeling completely real in mine, and waited to be tested by the pain.

And there were many, too many for any one to stand out.

Distantly, I heard the sound of shattering glass and an old house groaning for mercy. The forest sang a song of safety and sustenance, and I triggered that internal shift that was as integral to me as breath. Even in that familiar nothingness, I could still feel Dinah with me, and I marveled at the never-before-felt sensation.

The forest wept with us, cracked and splintered beneath the force of the pain being lanced in one last, violent burst. Like a tornado, we roared through the trees, the pain given life by a young metahuman who could have never guessed the true extent of her power.

 

++ Dinah ++

Consciousness came back slowly.

Sunlight warm on my cheek and side, the scent of crushed grass and fresh split wood sweet in my nostrils. Soft earth beneath me.

Shan purring softly where she was wrapped so tight around my smaller body.

How I had missed her touch. My body and heart couldn't even fathom another person making me feel this safe and needed. "See?" She murmured almost soundlessly against my aching skull. "We make hell of a team."

A smile curled my mouth, slow and warm, making my heart feel the same. Reaching back, I curled my fingers into her silk-fine hair, caressing her round skull. Nuzzling my hair, Shan purred louder and I felt myself settling inside my bones, like I hadn't felt comfortable inside myself in a very long time. The long breath that shuddered out of me expelled the last of the splintering pain, leaving behind cleaner wounds that felt like they were finally ready to really heal. Shan shifted to raise herself up to an elbow, casting her shadow over my face. Trusting her to shield my eyes from the sunlight, I gazed up into her serious face.

"Next time someone fucks with you, try to remember how you did this."

Puzzled, I looked around and nearly fainted with shock.

It looked like someone had dropped a cluster of missiles in what had once been a patch of deep forest. Trees thicker than both of us combined had been torn up and spun away like sticks, now cradled awkwardly by their still-standing brethren. Several larger trees looked as though they had been sandblasted, bark and branches stripped away. Undergrowth lay in a massive dam around the new clearing, a circular patch of raw earth at least a hundred feet in diameter.

"Oh… my… god…" was all I could manage to whisper as Shan let me sit up. This patch of forest had been decimated by my telekinesis.

"I had a hand in it," Shan offered quietly and I twisted to look at her. "Added my pain in to fuel the fire, so to speak. The forest will grow back. In fact, this'll make a really nice meadow until the trees take it back." Her expression turned thoughtful as she squinted up at the sun. "I think somehow we amped each other's powers. Damned if I know how, but I'm not tired from teleporting us, and you look pretty decent for becoming a human tornado." Abruptly, she grinned and I felt myself smile helplessly back. "I actually feel pretty good, Pretty Bird."

That did it. All my repressed feelings for her spiraled up and I pounced. Pinning Shan to the bare dirt, I kissed her like I needed her to keep me alive. Hard and soft, she cradled me with her larger body and gripped me close with strong hands. I had never felt so alive, laying there in the blazing sunlight and kissing this woman I loved so dearly.

 

++ Davie ++

Jerking awake as though someone had poked me with a hot poker, I dizzily cast out mentally for the emergency that had intruded so violently into my sleep. Only half-awake, I reflexively shied away from Dinah's fog-horn blast of mental energy, even as it began to bleed away. After a moment, I could feel Shan with her, their minds swirled into a morass of rending pain that at last began to fade in the face of her their combined strength.

For a moment I observed them, wincing at the total destruction of the forest around them, before quietly letting them be. "Good girls," I admired them quietly and only then began to take stock of my immediate surroundings.

And startled when a gentle hand stroked my hair.

"Good girls?" Carolyn echoed me in soft curiosity and I abruptly realized that I had been sound asleep with my head in the woman's lap. Woo boy, I'd definitely been spending too much time with this little family lately. Things were taking on an intimacy that I wasn't allowed to have. Yet, when I tensed to move, she pressed my skull to her warm flesh, firm beneath worn-soft denim. "Stay." The firm, but completely gentle order actually worked and I found myself relaxing. "Is Dinah home?" I hummed a wordless confirmation, and suddenly realized that I could clearly hear the static of her calm mind. It wasn't the usual noise either… I had slipped up by slipping in. "Don't," Carolyn ordered again. "If I'd been threatened or disturbed by your presence, I'd have woken you up quite some time ago. You being in here with me makes the fragmented memories easier to piece together." Now I had to roll my head to the side and look into her brown eyes. With a peaceful smile, the woman rested her stroking hand on my forehead and I basked in the unaccustomed contact. "I think that maybe I'm piggybacking your telepathic focus and control to explore my own mind. Several things have cleared up in the last couple of hours."

Couple of hours?

I was so shocked by my lack of control that I completely missed the first rambling memory that Carolyn was sharing. Refocusing, I caught a stray wisp of memory about a childhood dog, and the emerging panorama of another train of thought.

"And there was this ridiculous looking statue in front of the school. We all hated it, like some kind of obligation, but when it fell in the earthquake; I think every student that ever graduated from that high school was strangely devastated by the loss." It was a statue of what looked like some grandiose rooster trying to take flight. Carolyn grinned playfully at me and I felt something in me respond, something that I knew I had to keep a tight rein on. "We were the Central Phoenixes. Guess some things weren't meant to rise from the ashes, hmm?"

Aww man! She was so not playing fair! Being all sweet and nice and… don't go there, Davinia Periklastinos! Just don't.

Then Carolyn's face took on a faraway, dreamy quality that made her look luminous and that weird feeling in my gut grew sharper. I was in so much trouble…

"When Dinah was four, she brought some raggedy stray kitten home from preschool. Poor, bedraggled thing looked like a cartoon character reject." Her expression grew even softer, a warm, maternal glow that only her child could inspire. "She was a great cat."

A blue wave of melancholia washed over Carolyn's mind and I reflexively reached to give her nearby knee a squeeze.

"A neighbor was kind enough to take her when I took Dinah to the Redmonds."

"She turned out pretty good," I heard my voice say and Carolyn smiled in a half-amused and half-sad kind of way.

"The cat?"

"No, smartass," I sassed back and forced myself to relax again, settling into the sprawled pose I had woken to. "She and Shan have worked things out. Healing should come now."

A tension neither of us had been aware of suddenly drained out of Carolyn's body and she let out a long, shuddering sigh. "Good girls, indeed."

 

++ Janelle ++

Giggling with the effort, I shooed away Alfred's offer of assistance and let myself be walked into the manor. Like I was gonna be able to stop him…

It had taken weeks to find the perfect addition to our big household. Now I just had to hope that Apollo liked him. And that he liked the twins.

"Shan! Ro! Everybody, come see!"

Unfortunately, Menolly peeked out first, and vanished with a squeak of alarm. I suppose that maybe I really should have warned everybody.

Too late! The look on Shan's face as she trotted out from the kitchen was worth all the trouble I'd gone through. Grinning wildly, I nodded my head at my companion and explained.

"I thought you could use another little brother."

Ro made an anxious cat sound when she stepped up behind her twin, Helena looking startled behind her. The great, hairy adolescent barely restrained by my small weight seemed a bit wary, but he quickly began wagging his tail.

"A dog?" Helena asked skeptically as the twins inched forward, their attention totally riveted on my new pal.

"I had a promise to keep," I explained softly as Shan crouched down and made an animal sound at the big dog. He whined plaintively and yanked at his leash hard enough to nearly bowl me over. It was love at first sight, as the twins knelt and began fussing over the dog. There was no hesitation in the meeting, he was wagging tail hard enough to shake his whole body, yipping and licking with abject ecstasy at his new packmates.

"A dog?" Barbara echoed Helena as I strode over to them, rubbing my tired wrists. The beast was already huge, and he was only six months old.

"I found a really neat breeder in Virginia that breeds white German Shepherds for temperament and intelligence. One of his girls got out a while back and got herself knocked up by a local sheep farmer's Great Pyrenees. Fluffy here is the biggest of the pups."

"He's wonderful," Ro gushed like a six-year-old where she was fondly roughing Fluffy up near my feet.

"He's perfect," Shan went one further, resting her ear on the pup's chest to listen to his heartbeat. And that was that. All the doubt and alarm on the New Gotham crew's faces evaporated into tenderness at the twin's delight in the big dog that would now be part of their pack too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This title change was a last minute things, because I didn't like the original choice. There is a line in this song that has inspired me a dozen times over, including my best and most favorite couple of all time, Art and Janet. It goes: "I see in you the one who now completes the half of me I used to be." It's sappy, but I don't argue with inspiration.
> 
> I wanted something that echoed the angst and sweetness of this chapter. This is a song with surprising depth, despite it being the Spice Girls, and some truly rousing vocals. So it suited the feel.
> 
> Time goes By, The Spice Girls  
> I've never had a feeling so right  
> Like I have with you  
> Can't explain the things you do  
> But boy when you tell me softly you love me too
> 
> It's like I know we were meant to be  
> So for eternity you will have a part of me  
> And all I need is for you to stay right here with me  
> yeah
> 
> Time goes by but we stand still  
> (know it does I know it does)  
> Love you for eternity I will I will  
> I know that we were meant to be  
> (we were meant to be my love)  
> That's how I feel when you're with me
> 
> You are the reason that my heart beats  
> I know I never thought I would ever fall so deep  
> But now I see that the love that we share  
> Is oh so sweet  
> What if I told you that I believe  
> That you are my soul my destiny my destiny  
> yeah  
> What if I was to say in every way  
> Deep in my heart is where you'll be  
> time
> 
> Time goes by but we stand still  
> (I'm still right here)  
> Love you for eternity I will  
> (I'll never go)  
> I know that we were meant to be  
> (we were meant to be)  
> That's how I feel when you're with me  
> (how I feel when you're with me)
> 
> Time goes by but we stand still  
> (oh time oh time)  
> Love you for eternity I will  
> (eternity I will)  
> I know that we were meant to be  
> (baby love)  
> That's how I feel when you're with me
> 
> As you hold me close so tenderly  
> And watch you fall to sleep  
> I see in you the one who now completes  
> The half of me I used to be
> 
> Time goes by but we stand still  
> (yeah)  
> Love you for eternity I will  
> (eternity I will)  
> I know that we were meant to be  
> (were meant to be)  
> That's how I feel when you're with me  
> (feel when you're with me baby)
> 
> Time goes by but we stand still  
> (but we always stand still babe)  
> Love you for eternity I will  
> (stand still babe and I know)  
> I know that we were meant to be  
> (yes we were)  
> That's how I feel when you're with me
> 
> Time goes by but we stand still  
> Love you forever yes I will  
> I know we're meant to be  
> That's how I feel baby


	21. These Things I'll Never Say

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinah and Shan become lovers at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personal disclaimer: I admit that I started writing this many, many months ago, and froze up after they start getting cozy. It's been awhile, but Shan and Dinah deserve some 'together' time. It was actually begun before much of the plot, especially all of the Harley violence, so there were some rewrites, but the first third is essentially the same. The rest was written in order of the story, which I rarely do.

++ Dinah ++

I was so nervous I was queasy.

Queasy and cold-and-hot and sweaty and shaking in my boots kindsa nervous.

But there was no way in hell I was doing a thing differently.

We'd been dancing around one another for what felt like forever and now the time felt absolutely perfect. After bonding over madwomen and our mutually screwed up childhoods, though she'd certainly had the worse one, and stewing in this insane chemistry for so long my bones were starting to ache…

I wanted her.

I wanted her in that sunshine and roses-horny porn star kinda way. I wanted her so bad that I was a little crazy with it.

So I'd done a few crazy things for her.

A couple of weeks ago, I'd managed to wheedle a fake ID out of Gibson by teasing him with the reasons for my wanting it. Even now, I could picture the glazed look in his eyes. Ugh… boys. Not that I could entirely blame him for his horny-male response. After all, the ID and access to the Wayne fortune had put me in a position for a seduction of epic proportions.

So I had been extremely specific in my preparations for her.

After spending so much time getting to know Killashandra Jones, I had learned a ton about her. The things that would make her grin or scowl, even if she wasn't aware of the response. I took note of the kinds of smells that made her sniff at the air like a dog, and the ones that made her flinch away and wrinkle her nose up. When I could actually smell them. I took note of what colors she liked, and what she wore and what kind of textures she enjoyed. I watched her touch others and watched others touch her, looking for the places on her body that made her respond like a stroked cat. I watched her cuddle the kitten, the way she pet him until he was a boneless, purring lump.

And now, I was ready.

Wayne Manor was so huge that I'd had no problem squirreling away a small section in one of the back areas for my seduction. I had dressed very carefully and prepped the luxurious room. Despite the embarrassment of asking, I'd gotten Helena's help to get Ro, Janelle, Barbara, Menolly and Todd out of the building so that they wouldn't accidentally interfere. My mother had decided to finally take Davie's and the other new meta's offer of some time off. She was a little disappointed that I hadn't gone with, but I could feel her relief at being able to process the last couple of years with some privacy. Davie had been invaluable in her recovery of her fractured memories and every day was an improvement. Who could blame me for speculating on their closeness? Shrugging off my curiosity, I returned my attention to the task at hand.

Taking up the little bottle, I took a deep breath and cracked the airtight seal. The bottle had cost me a plane trip to Los Angles, three days of my life and a small fortune. The kind of small fortune that equaled the ransom of a minor nobleman. But Gibson knew she was the best, and a metahuman to boot, so the trouble was worth it. Within seconds of the seal cracking, Fluffy raised his big head in a classic, 'oh-neat-smell' pose. I let him come over and sniff at the bottle for a moment until he lost interest and sat at my feet.

"Hey boy," I teased in my best wanna-play voice and he immediately began to wriggle happily. "You wanna play hide and seek? Huh? Do ya?" Oh, he was getting all worked up, tail wagging and tongue lolling. Excellent. Flushed with embarrassment and anticipation, I hooked a finger into the skimpy lace panties wrapped around my hips and tugged. The snaps gave way fairly easily and left me with the warm, slightly damp material loose in my palm. One fat drop of the hideously expensive perfume fell from the bottle and soaked into the lingerie. Kneeling, I tied the scrap of fragrant panties to Fluffy's collar and roughed up his big head. "Okay boy, go find Shan! Go on! Go find Shan!" The second the crack in the door was wide enough for escape, he was off like a shot.

So far so good. A quick wash of my hands with the neutral scented soap, and I plopped another drop onto my finger to run a streak down the surface of the door. It left a thick sheen there and I knew that Shan's sensitive nose would lead her here. Now, I just had to wait for Shan to follow the scent of my pheromone cocktail to lead her to me.

I had no idea where I had heard of the practice, but I remembered enough to have done the research and asked the questions. There were perfume makers in the world that would tailor scents to a specific person. It was aromatherapy, pheromones and experience wrapped up in a bottle that was made for only one person's body chemistry. Only, I needed one step more. By telling Gibson exactly what I was after and why, occasionally in somewhat embarrassing detail, I tracked down Marcia Longstreet, a legend in her field, and a metahuman with a truly gifted sense of smell. After explaining Shan to her in loving detail, Marcia had created the contents of the bottle. Even with my limited senses, it smelled exquisite. She guaranteed that my sensitive woman would be like an animal in heat after getting just a few stray molecules of the stuff. The way she suggested the perfume would interact with my natural scent, made it quite clear that she meant it would be all the more effective the wetter and hornier I got. Humiliating, yet very, very reassuring. She'd sent me on my way with an amazing collection of smell-neutralizing substances that I had been very carefully remarking these three rooms with for over a week now.

First, I had forbidden anyone to get anywhere near them, begging Alfred to humor me, it was important. Then I had begun stripping the smells from the room as much as possible, removing traces of cleaning fluids, having every scrap of material in the place cleaned with the special detergents, or removing things completely. The mattress was sealed in an allergy-reducing sheath that helped keep its manufactured, sterile aroma masked, same with the pillows. There were drinks and foods, all carefully washed and cleaned by my own hands. Even to me, the place was transformed, every time I stepped in here, I could tell the difference. It should knock Shan's animal senses into orbit.

Before my preparations for the weekend, for I wasn't planning on letting her out of this room for at least a couple of days, I had carefully showered. Then I dressed the bed in soft, luxurious cotton and silks, all stripped down to their plain, undistorted aromas. The smell of my skin and sweat and arousal had permutated into the fabrics by now, because I had napped here a few times. I took up the fancy perfume sprayer that Marcia had given me and dropped in two fat drops of the miracle smell.

"Only two drops!" She had been very adamant about that. "No need to completely overwhelm your sweetie. She needs to be able to smell you. This bottle is only enhancement, a compliment to your natural scent." So here I was, spritzing the diluted perfume over my skin, feeling it puckering into goose pimples.

The butterflies were back with a vengeance… but I was so ready for her that I was shaking.

And the tremors had little to do with fear…

 

++ Shan ++

I was bored.

The place was virtually empty and I was bored. We'd been running at full pace pretty much since setting foot in New Gotham, and I had no idea what to do with myself not under some kind of pressure. Ro had taken off with her womenfolk and the other lab kids, Gabby was off visiting her folks for the weekend before the weather got any more sultry and the others were off doing God-knows-what. I wasn't even sure where Alfred was, and he was always around. I knew that Dinah had been up to something lately, her body language anticipatory and nervous. But every time I asked, she dodged the subject and distracted me with kisses. We'd gotten really good at them, the kisses, and pushing the envelope of exploration before it got past the mild 'R' rating. Maybe I should track her down and push a few more boundaries…

A familiar sound echoed through the empty manor, and I turned my head to catch it more clearly. Fluffy, on the rampage of some new game no doubt. Maybe he'd want some company…

Right on cue, the big dog barreled into the room at full blast. Two things assaulted me at once. Fluffy's bulk drove me back as I habitually took the charge like a linebacker and… and the most incredible smell wafted to me. In an instant, it had swamped over my brain like the sweet aroma of incense used by a geisha girl, the sultry jungle with a mysterious Amazon lover stalking me, the musky smoke of an Indian temple, the belly dancer's dark eyes deep and hot over her gauzy veil…

It was a thousand wet fantasies tickling across my suddenly hyperactive olfactory receptors, the reaction in my body a deep, hard ache that left me breathless. But there was only one pair of crystalline eyes that came to my mind, only one waterfall of gold hair and only one slender young body.

Pinning Fluffy between my hands, I went in search of the intoxicating smell. It wasn't hard, and a tug had the scrap of cotton lace in my hands. Ignoring the excited dog, I brought the scrap of material to my face and drew the musk of her arousal into my lungs. Mouth open, I scented at the air, delirious with reaction to the tease.

"Go get Ro, boy, go find Ro," I intoned distractedly and Fluffy was off in a flurry of happy energy, leaving me with my quest. Some remote, intelligent corner of my mind remembered the term. It was called flemming, the odd grimace that male cats would make when scenting a female in heat. That near-snarl twisted my features as every animal instinct in my body tuned into the smell of my Pretty Bird, my angel.

Padding in barefoot silence through the cavernous house, I let the hunt draw me in; seduce me with the power and promise. By the time this hunt was over, I intended to leave nothing of my Canary but a pile of satisfied bones and feathers.

Abruptly, there was a stronger wisp of the scent clinging to the panties clenched in my fist, only without the added banquet of Dinah's arousal. There, a wet smear on a door, the track of a single digit painted on the old wood. I paused there, hounded by her scent and the reality of what lay behind that door. We had courted a very long time by my instincts. She had been mine for a very long time, but human propriety and the repercussions of those madwomen had kept us apart. I wanted her as my mate, my lover, the young healthy female to bear cubs and stand beside me to protect our territory. In a swirl of instincts both alike and opposite, I leaned my forehead beside the slick mark on the door. Dinah had claimed this place as hers, had enticed me here with the obvious intent of completing this long mating dance.

There was no place for human fear here and I opened the door. Again, my animal urges took faint notice of the odd lack of familiar human smells here. The room smelled of a strange cleanliness the likes of which I had never experienced. But all I could concentrate on was the need for her, the burn, the ache.

Words.

Words?

It was a struggle to get my upper brain back on line enough to read them.

'Shower for me.'

Written in Dinah's flowing hand. Snarling, I almost tore the note from the door, before I abruptly realized that I could smell all the foreign scents clinging to me. They were distracting in this environment, so clean yet so natural. Irritated, I stripped off the offending garments, truly despising them, taking great pleasure in the tear of fabric, and the cool air on my skin. The shower even smelled clean, inoffensive towels, warm water, soap that smelled of almost… nothing.

How had Dinah done this? It was so utterly strange and comforting to smell my own waterlogged scent as though I had never smelled it before, to bury my face in the towel and smell only the warmth of cotton and the faint, faint traces of my human life.

Then I stepped into the den where my mate waited. Even as animalistic as I felt in that moment, I took note of the simple decadence of the room, the drape of cloth, the flutter of candles, the thick luxury of the heavy bed.

But I had eyes for only her.

A streak of gold and honey and peaches against the silky champagne of the sheets, one leg bent seductively, arms loose over her head, her curves smooth and clean and waiting. There were no words spoken, only the glitter of her blue eyes in the candlelight, the gentle assault of her enhanced smell to my nose, the feast of her flawless body to my eyes.

Still damp, boofed up with excitement, Slinky dancing wildly, I padded to the bed and just soaked her in for a long moment. Nostrils flared, I enjoyed the way the subtle smells of whatever that stuff was mixed with the thick heat of her.

"I love you," growled up guttural from my chest and I had never been more sincere in my life.

"I love you," she echoed, feather-soft and her breathless tone was as evocative as her words. A little overwhelmed by the moment, I bent to her, butted my head against hers, rubbed my nose against her cheek like I had done a hundred times before. Dinah nuzzled back, her lips playing over my temple and ear, disturbing the hair standing away from my scalp as though it was determined to escape.

The loving playfulness eased my antsiness, reassured both of us of the warm bond between us. Most importantly, I liked Dinah above all else, she was warm and fun and smart and beautiful. Lips brushed, I drew her sultry breath deep into my own body, relishing the feel of it. Little by little, we came together with nibbling kisses and I moved to crouch over her naked body. Inch by inch, I learned her with hands and mouth and skin and fur. Skin to skin, we felt one another for the first time, her touch as caressing and reverent as my own.

 

++ Dinah ++

I could have never imagined what she felt like. The silky soft tickle of the whisper-fine fur, her skin hot and firm, the ripple of hard muscle and bone beneath. The look on her face was priceless as I hesitated for a moment, hands flat against where her ribs arched up towards her sternum. There was some lingering virginal fear in my heart and in my touch, after all, I'd never gone this far with anyone before, but my need for her was stronger. Violet eyes slitted and she hissed almost threateningly as I cupped the small, soft weight of her breasts in my hands.

I moaned, head whirling as she shifted, bringing our nestled hips closer, the wet between her legs painting my thigh. The press of her lightly-furred leg tight where I ached so badly made my body squirm in a supplicating dance I was only just really beginning to understand.

"Oh Dinah," Shan whispered, her mouth suckling lightly at my jaw, then dipping down to my neck. There was no threat at having her dangerous teeth so close to my throat, for I trusted this woman completely. Her mouth opened wide, teeth rasping against my skin, tongue sandpapery and wet.

"Oh god," I whispered and felt my guts clench up tighter, wanting the erotic sensations in the places where I ached the worst. "Shan… lower, please. I'm dying here."

Then she started purring, wrapped around that throaty chuckle that made me crazy and I squealed as she suddenly curled her spine and nuzzled the soft spot between my breasts. Sinuously, her bent legs slithered beneath mine, bringing my hips off the bed to rest in her lap.

I felt totally exposed, embarrassment and nerves at the edges of my consciousness.

Then Shan wrapped that teasing mouth around one hard nipple and every thought in my head went down in a tangle. There were no words, just my incoherent voice filling the quiet air of the room. Her fine hair was clenched in my fingers; I unconsciously arched my body up, to encourage the suction around that exquisite point of contact. That cat-rough tongue rasped over my nipples, bringing up sensitivities that I had never felt before. I was murmuring Shan's name, eyes closed, completely captivated by the responses in my body, the connection I felt with this wonderful woman.

Her hands held me in that perfect arch, flat and supportive in the small of my back, while her mouth abandoned my sensitized chest. I could only whine in protest, gripping her hair painfully. She was the world's best vibrator that purred and growled when pulled at.

"I'm still with you, Pretty Bird. Still with you…" Her voice trailed off into a purr as she suckled at the other breast, driving me even wilder. Her fingers lightly stroked my back, keeping me aware of the rest of my body, even as my mind whirled. Slinky tickled over my legs and I found myself fantasizing about Shan taking me in her unique way. Was I ready for that?

Shan released my other rock-hard nipple and curled herself up in a way that nearly any mere human would find impossible, to nuzzle the tense curve of my tummy.

At this point, I wanted anything she would give me!

 

++ Shan ++

By all that was good and holy in the universe, she tasted good! That strange, alluring smell mixed with Dinah's own scents to tease across my palate as effectively as the sweet saline of her skin. It burned pleasantly, like fresh old-fashioned root beer drunk ice-cold from a glass bottle. It was intoxicating and I sealed my mouth to her, sucking hard like a leech to bring hot blood close to the surface of her fair skin. Her voice was poetry, crooning and sighing, the vibration of her moans echoing though my lips and tongue. "Dinah," I breathed soundlessly into her skin, before trailing the pointed tip of my tongue over her tense skin. I was running out of working room, what with our pelvises glued together. As much as I didn't want to move from the sensual cradle of her spread thighs, there was a whole lot more places that I desperately needed to explore.

There were few, if any words that could make it past the haze of love and sex that bound us together in this place that she had prepared so carefully. Knowing that this was Dinah's first time with a lover, I planned on doing my damnest to make this a memorable experience. So I moved my hands to rasp my blunted nails over her beautiful breasts and succeeded in getting her to release my head.

Something guttural rumbled up from Dinah's chest as she writhed and pink trails came up on her skin where I had lightly scratched. I sat up, letting her grip my wrists in a death grip, and the heady scent of her dripping sex wafted up to suffocate me in the best way. That was my goal now, and the sooner I got there, the better.

"C'mon, Pretty Bird," I growled deep in my body. "I want to make you feel so good. Trust me…"

Rising up onto my knees to lean over Dinah, I kissed her long and slow. In addition to the sheer joy of doing it, I wanted to give her time to process all the sensations. Not to mention to let my own libido to calm somewhat so that I could concentrate on her.

"Love you, Shan," she whispered into my mouth, before tugging me in closer, kissing me as though our very lives depended on it. My heart was warmed by her soft confession, and I stroked her skin. It was easy to lose myself in the caresses of her needy mouth, and let the heat build between us.

"Love you, Dinah," I breathed back behind her teeth and leaned away to share a smile with my young lover. Long moments passed while we studied each other closely. Then I finally grinned at her, earning the same in return. "Ready to fly, Pretty Bird?"

She flushed as I rocked my hips into the intoxicating wet at her center. It was a residual embarrassment, a knee-jerk reaction to the newness of all this lovemaking. So I circled my hips, pressing my belly into her wet pubes, delighted that her eyes fluttered shut and she started making those low, sexy noises. Once more, I worked my way down her body, paying quick homage to the places that made her squirm.

 

++ Dinah ++

Oh, in a clinical sense, I knew what to expect as Shan mouthed her way back down my torso. All of this making out was making me wet and horny; ready for the sexual climax she was building in me. Doing my best to ignore the nervous quaver of this big step, I closed my eyes and focused on what Shan was making me feel.

"Honey," Shan suddenly purred and I opened slightly blurry eyes to see her grin. "Roll over on your stomach and hand me a pillow, won't you?"

In a spectacular show of physicality, Shan pressed her weight up onto hands and tip-toes to allow me the space to comply, Slinky dancing above her. The pillow settled beside my hip as I settled onto my front side and waited for her touch again. As Shan's weight came to rest straddling my hips, I did indeed feel a hand on the plane of my back.

And that wonderful mouth that made me make all those sexy noises.

And Slinky…

Teasing over my ribs, making me squirm from the tickle and the ideas my imagination conjured up. I had no clue that my back was so sensitive! Dizzy with arousal, I heard myself crying out for relief, desperately pressing my hips up to encourage her. The heavy purring was as maddening as all of the textures roving over my skin. Soft lips, sharp teeth, rough tongue, sensitive hands and claws, Slinky's rock solidness clothed in the softest fuzz.

Then the tail wrapped tight around my hip joint and curled into the soft curve of inner thigh.

I wailed for mercy. "Shan! Please!"

"You're very wet," she growled into the small of my back, the words throbbing up and down my spine, making me cry out again. Once more, she leaned back on her heels, her spread knees nudging my thighs apart, cool air caressing my soaked groin. God, I was gonna die…

Then a hand brushed my inner thigh, the touch lost for a moment when it passed over Slinky. For a moment, I lost track of Shan's mouth, now on the curve of my tailbone, suckling there, and her other hand, caressing my hip. That new touch brushed against the gold fuzz between my legs, and even that faint touch making me pant. With the heel of her hand resting on my ass, Shan stroked her fingertips through the swollen wet and her claws rasped through the wiry hairs.

It was maddening! I'd never been so aware of myself before, the way my pussy had unfurled in welcome, desperate for her to slide in and take the ache away. A single digit slithered through the soft, ducking just inside. My hips jerked back, desperate for a firmer touch.

"Patience," Shan growl-chuckled.

"Screw patience," I snarled back and she laughed throatily. In quick succession, Shan shifted and I found myself unceremoniously flipped onto my back, the pillow beneath my ass. Before I could brush the hair out of my eyes, the most extraordinary sensation made me breathless.

Shan's nose and hot breath against my exposed pussy. Freezing in place, I focused every nerve into the touch. I was fully unprepared for how her tongue would feel, slithering over my burning clit, her hand pulling me open for her exploration.

Everything was white noise, my ears humming to her purr, my eyes slitted and useless, thick with tears, my spine aching from the bed, legs moving feebly for purchase, one hand clutching the blanket, the other in Shan's fine hair.

That wonderful mouth settled over the burning wet of me and I was treated to the delights of careful suction there. While I called out in dizzy pleasure, Shan suckled gently, her cat tongue explored every sensitive nook and cranny.

It was close, I could feel it. My heart was racing with adrenaline and hormones, my body tight and ready, sheened in sweat. Squirming wildly, anchored by Shan's mouth and hands and tail, I was lost in the pleasure, ready for the peak I was climbing so fast.

It hit like a tornado, as Shan's mouth clamped down into a near love-bite, and a single, clawed finger rimmed around the empty, dark entrance to my needy body, ducking just inside. What felt like a physical jolt, like I'd fallen down, rattled through my nervous system and the climax squeezed out every other sensation for a long eternity. Straining and jerking, I rode out the tidal wave, barely hearing my own cries, pushed out and strangled off in sync to the blissful and almost painful contractions.

Ah, but I wasn't done quite yet. Even as the high started to recede, I was once again aware of Shan's mouth suckling softly, a pair of fingers creeping slowly inside to give my innards something to flutter against. I was suspended there, between relaxation and ecstasy, paralyzed by the contrast.

 

++ Shan ++

This was the best little slice of heaven. I carefully crept my fingers inside her tight channel, and tried not to stress that I'd find the physical proof that she was a virgin. Fortunately, Dinah had been too active a girl to still have her hymen and I was able to slide in until my knuckles were against my chin. There was enough tension in her body that I was guessing that I could push her over the edge again. Listening to her mating song was almost as good as the feel and taste of her sweet body, and I modified my technique by paying attention to both.

"Dinah," I breathed reverently, and felt her fingers convulse in my already-strained hair. Nuzzling against her sweet clit, I once more began to suck softly. Rather than thrust into her tender pussy, I merely rocked my fingers within her silken grip. Stimulation without friction. The taste of her arousal was perfection, a sweet, musky, animal taste that was intoxicating. Hell, I hadn't stopped purring since pressing our bodies together right after my shower.

Softly, little more than a whimper, Dinah chanted my name as her body once more began to writhe with growing pleasure. I trained my eyes along the sleek planes of her body, every muscle standing out beneath the sweaty skin, as though carved by a sculptor. It was tough, keeping the suction gentle, yet persistent, so that her overloaded nervous system would make the climb again. Only this time, I wanted to be face to face with my lover.

"Arch up, sweetie," I encouraged, cupping my free hand beneath her to help. When Dinah complied, I yanked away the pillow and carefully rose up, sweetly amused when she whined in objection to our separated warmth. "I'm right here," I reassured, laying my weight half beside and half atop her. Unfocused blue eyes stared up at me, bright with heavy tears. There was a dull flush on her skin, her cute little nipples were still standing out proudly and she smelled of sweat and sex. "You look glorious."

"Oh Shan," Dinah whispered, grimacing as I once again began stroking her clit, this time with the heel of my hand, and twitched my fingers deep inside. "Feels… good."

"Yes," I agreed happily and leaned down to kiss her deeply. "You feel wonderful." I had one of her legs trapped between mine, and enjoyed the flex of her muscles so close to my own, sharp need. Her hand, not the one I had half-trapped by my body, trailed down my outstretched arm and was distractedly rubbing the back of my hand where I lay inside her body. "I'd like you to show me where you like to be touched," I encouraged her, prodding at her softness to illustrate my point. Groaning, Dinah slipped her hand under mine, straddling her own clit with two fingers. "Excellent."

Grimacing and groaning, Dinah continued to climb, the sensual tension growing in her. Foreheads pressed together, we kissed softly, and I basked in the tremble of her mouth, and the hot breath over my face. It hit suddenly, a sudden tension, a hiss, her body frozen for a moment, except for that strong grip around my fingers. Crying out softly with the contractions of orgasm, Dinah watched me through wet, slitted eyes.

I was enraptured by her.

Slowly, gently, Dinah began to unwind, a boneless, trusting sprawl beneath my larger frame. It was humbling to have her so vulnerable like this, to have the gift of her trust with body and emotions. This is what drove people to such extremes, this elusive magic. Panting and winded, Dinah blinked as though waking from a deep sleep, and amused me with a huge, jaw-cracking yawn.

"Oh… wow," she giggled, sounding, for a moment, exactly the girl-woman that she was. Languidly, she palmed my skull, urging me to once more drink from her mouth, grimacing and hissing as I gently withdrew from her softness. "I think I might be missing some bones."

"It's a good thing you only blow stuff up when you're upset," I chuckled, wishing I didn't sound so wired. The blissful relaxation of her body was something I didn't want to lose just yet, no matter how damn horny I was after all this time. Blue, blue eyes were clearer now, studying me with an intensity that was all woman.

It made me shiver in awareness.

For, while I had more experience with sex, sure, I was by no means jaded to the loving act. I was lucky that sexual need had always been a loving act for me, and never one associated with my abusive childhood. So, it was easy to lose myself in Dinah, with only the faint ghosts of Janelle and Ro's touch in the recesses of my mind. Now, I was Dinah Lance/Redmond's, and no matter our futures together or apart, I would love her forever.

For now, however, there were far more pressing needs than the poetry feelings she evoked in me. My expression must have spoken the words my higher brain was incapable of, because Dinah's face was a study in sensuality and pleasantly alarmed. The kisses became deeper, more urgent, strength returning to my lover's body while the pleasure wound tighter in my own. Blunt-nailed hands on my back and head grew more urgent, almost rough in the fuzz cloaking my skin.

At first, I thought it was my brain getting confused with over-stimulation.

Then I remembered that my lover was a telekinetic, and the evening just got a whole lot more interesting.

 

++ Dinah ++

The tension in Shan's body revived me as though she were a battery and I, the connector. Starting her up again slowly, I let instinct guide my hands, my mouth, the press of my body into hers. What I certainly lacked in experience, I could sure as hell cover with some accurate guesswork! Shan seemed to have no complaints as I grew lost in her body, rasping my short nails through the fuzz on her back and sides. Frustrated that I couldn't touch her enough, I had a sudden 'duh' moment.

Drawing on carefully constructed mental fortresses of power and control, I reached out with the more overt of my metahuman gifts. While my flesh caressed hers, so did my mind. It was an intoxicating combination. Moaning and growling, Shan writhed into the stimulation and I was able to deepen my exploration. I had long since grown used to the feel of her fur, from the peach fuzz on her face, to the thick swatches on throat and tail. But I had yet to get to the wide plains of her torso. No time like the present, eh?

Shan was never completely naked. Not like the rest of humanity anyway. As I followed the thick 'v' of fur that ran from jugular to sternum, pressing the hairs flat with my tongue, I pondered that strange fact. Telekinetically pressing Shan onto her back, chuckling at her huff of surprise, I cupped her small breasts to re-familiarize myself with the feel of them.

"Di…" Shan groaned and I felt her clawed hands on my head, trying to direct my mouth.

"None of that," I teased, pressing her touch away with my 'kinesis. "You're mine now, on my terms, lover."

"Hey, I…" the words trailed off as I indulged in a reoccurring fantasy. Shan's chunky little nipple felt good in my mouth. This is where I was meant to be, wrapped around this dear woman's body and heart. Suckling made her whine and purr, pinching carefully with my teeth made her jump and cry out. I didn't need to be a telepath to know that she liked that! Up until now, I hadn't even been paying attention to whether or not I was still in my own head. If we were tangled up in my off-and-on again telepathy, I was too distracted to care. Switching to the other nipple, I started out gentle again, increasing the pressure, leaving off once I had the urge to bite down hard. Now I could suckle my way down the firm expanse of Shan's belly, tugging at the baby-soft fuzz on occasion. As my concentration focused and slackened, I kept my telekinesis caressing her.

Until I got down to Shan's wet crotch and gave up on anything resembling real concentration. It was an intense slick of her body's perfume, thick and wild. The taste was sharp and musky, like savory food and fresh rain and things I had no name for. Humming happily, I found the hard little nub I only knew from my own explorations, and Shan squealed happily. That was really all it took, we'd been fooling around for so long, and I felt the wracking shudders ripple through her to escape in a stuttering, animalistic cry.

She was worth all the months of curiosity, all the months of getting to know her, all the months of frustration.

It was all worth it.

Tugging my head, Shan urged me wordlessly up to be kissed. I upped the ante by satisfying my curiosity of what she felt like deep inside, slipping my fingers into her cunt as I sprawled onto her larger body. "Love you," I murmured into her mouth as she gasped from the full sensation, my voice both loving and teasing. "And let me love you again."

I loved that I had reduced Shan to incoherency. My pleasure in her was complete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This song inspired this entire chapter, I admit it. As a note of some amusement that my writing partner and I misunderstood the lyrics for a very long time, and were completely cracked up when we learned they we were, as we suspected, wrong.
> 
> The actual line is: "I want to see you go down on one knee."
> 
> What we heard was: "Wanna see you go down on me."
> 
> Hence, you see the humor in this.
> 
>  
> 
> These Things I'll Never Say  
> By Avril Lavigne
> 
> I'm tuggin' at my hair   
> I'm pulling at my clothes   
> I'm trying to keep my cool   
> I know it shows   
> I'm staring at my feet   
> My cheeks are tuning red   
> I'm searching for the words inside my head
> 
> I'm feeling nervous   
> Trying to be so perfect   
> 'Cause I know you're worth it   
> you're worth it, yeah   
> If I could say what I want to say   
> I'd say I want to blow you away   
> Be with you every night   
> Am I squeezing you too tight?   
> If I could say what I want to see   
> I want to see you go down on one knee   
> Marry me today   
> Guess I'm wishing my life away   
> With these things I'll never say
> 
> It don't do me any good   
> It's just a waste of time   
> What use is it to you what's on my mind?   
> If it ain't coming out   
> We're not going anywhere   
> So why can't I just tell you that I care
> 
> (Chorus)
> 
> What's wrong with my tongue?   
> These words keep slipping away   
> I stutter, I stumble   
> Like I've got nothing to say
> 
> Cause I'm feeling nervous   
> Trying to be so perfect   
> Cause I know you're worth it   
> You're worth it   
> yeah
> 
> Yes I'm wishing my life away   
> With these things I'll never say
> 
> If I could say what I want to say   
> I'd say I want to blow you away   
> Be with you every night   
> Am I squeezing you too tight?   
> If I could say what I want to see   
> I want to see you go down on one knee   
> Marry me today   
> Yes I'm wishing my life away   
> With these things I'll never say   
> …these things I'll never say


	22. The Bells OR, The Journey Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A last visit with everyone before we go our separate ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Bells
> 
> I very specifically wanted a Venus Hum song. If you have never heard the heavenly voice of lead singer Annette Strean, then you haven't really lived. This was the only happy song in the bunch, and as I read the lyrics, I found them strangely appropriate.
> 
> OR, The Journey Home
> 
> Then I went and started listening to my Sarah Brightman pop stuff and found a song just as perfect. One line in particular jumped out at me, not just for the words, but the musical buildup that cumulates at the same point. Think of Davie, as well all of the others, as they settle into being a family.
> 
> "Not every boat you come across is one you have to take. No, sometimes standing still can be the best move you ever make." –The Journey Home

++ Ro ++

It was a beautiful day. As the sun sank towards the nearby ocean, the skies painted themselves every color of the rainbow. The massive solarium was my favorite spot in all of Wayne Manor, as the massive banks of windows filtered out the burning UV rays without reducing the hot press of all the glorious sunshine we'd seen this summer. It was a pleasure I'd never known, being albino and so susceptible to the destructive side of sunlight.

Fluffy lay completely limp and unconscious between my legs, his big head on my belly, utterly at peace with the world. In this moment, beneath the golden, glorious sun, I was completely in accord with him. So I remained as I was, sprawled into the huge cushioned lounge chair among the brick walkways that divided the massive banks of plants and water features, my arms thrown wide over the expanse of fabric.

When my pack came to me, it was with no disturbance to my deep, deep peace. Helena slipped into my personal space like the friendly, silent feline she was. Barbara's presence was like gathering static electricity, potent yet secretive. Janelle was an earthier counterpart to Barbara's lightning. We were the elements, we four; Helena as the changing force of fire, Barbara as the mercurial force of water, me as adaptable air and Janelle as our grounding force of earth. Not bothering to open my eyes, I groped silently, my body barely moving.

Helena was the first to come to me, her sinuous body imperiously shoving Fluffy's sprawling paws away to stretch along my right leg and ribs. The dog snorted lazily at the jostling, making us girls chuckle at him. Janelle somehow found the space to squeeze her small body against Hel's back and nestled her nose next to my ear with a happy sigh. The strange relationship between my dark lovers was still an enigma, a strange combination of fond aloofness and friendly competition. I had no complaints. When Barbara didn't immediately take up my other side, I slit open an eye to blurrily regard her. Smiling sweetly, she bent to kiss me before sitting at my hip with easy grace. Hard to believe that she had been paralyzed until such a short time ago.

I offered my hand, feeling Barbara play with my fingers and blunt claws. It was a strangely relaxing gesture.

"Jan had the bright idea to come watch the sun set with you," Helena murmured softly, her voice buzzing against my skin just below my breast. The feel of Janelle's grin on my temple earned one of mine in return.

"It's going to be a beautiful one," Barbara murmured and finally decided to drape herself along my free side. She started a bit when Apollo suddenly leapt from nowhere to perch delicately on her hip and regard us silly humans. He had an endless fascination with the red head. I could sympathize. That thought made me look down at the pile of our bodies and my heart swelled with adoration. Pressing kisses to the party-colored manes of my packmates, I purred softly. Barbara's fiery locks, Janelle's autumn brown and gold, Helena's so mahogany to be nearly black; they were all contrast to the unbroken white of my own coloring.

"Glad you're here," I murmured around the lump in my throat. It was true in so many ways.

++ Dinah ++

It was hugely entertaining to watch Shan and Tiny roughhouse in the clearing my telekinesis had made. It was shaping up to be a nice little spot. The splintered logs had been cleaned up with chainsaws, cut into rough benches and tables beneath the arch of the sky. The ragged remains of the violence of my telekinesis had been reduced to firewood and cushioning shavings on the ground. A big fire pit had been laid with rough bricks and recycled cinderblock, lined in bright terra-cotta tiles. A similar rough barbeque was just outside the ring of wooden seating.

This was rapidly becoming my favorite spot on the massive Wayne estate.

Since Gabby and I were to be among the first students at the new school, we had stayed pretty much out of the nuts and bolts of the set up. When asked our opinions, we'd happily thrown in our two cents, and we'd put in plenty of hours of physical labor.

Shan was suddenly looming over me, throwing her long shadow across my Anne McCaffery book. I was ready for a break from the tale of how humans had to share the stewardship of Doona with the Hrrubans, and looked up with a loving smile. It had been over a week since I'd finally succeeded in seducing her, and we were getting even better with practice. As always, I basked in her kiss, the soft brush of her fingers over my cheek and chin.

"This is going to be a popular spot," Shan grinned, her eyes so close that I could make out the blue film that turned her albino eyes from pink to violet.

"I should hope so. Jeez, we've gone to enough trouble. It looks wonderful, Shan. If no one else appreciates you for all this work, I sure do."

That smile made me all warm and fuzzy, and I relished the delicate blush that stole over my lover's face.

" _Dinah?_ " Davie's mental voice brushed over mine and I smiled.

" _Here, Davie, in the new clearing."_

 _"Excellent. May we come see?"_

 _"Yes, of course,_ " I encouraged and tugged Shan down again to be kissed. "We've got company coming. You ready to show off your work?" Her shy smile warmed my heart at the praise I knew she still felt that she didn't always deserve.

Voices carried through the deep forest, and I realized that if was more than just Davie. Sure enough, with the telepath were my mom and her new family. Any residual resentment I had towards Carrie and Kelly had dissipated. Well, I occasionally had a tingle, but after spending some time with the twelve-year-old, I found that I really liked her. That Kelly kept herself aloof and unapproachable was something I had stopped taking personally. She was like that with everyone.

Grinning happily, Carrie came over to the benches and tables. "This looks great! It's like summer camp, or so I've read." A shadow drifted across her face and I remembered getting memories from mom on what had happened to the little red-headed family. Carrie's father must be some kind of serious bastard to still be hunting her and Kelly all these years. No matter. They were family now and we would defend them to the death.

"Just have to be careful of splinters," I joked and Carrie laughed. I was definitely getting to like this big-sister stuff. Mom came over, hugging us both hard.

"I'm glad you two get along," she sighed happily and we girls giggled. She even had a big smile for Shan, who she thankfully liked. All in all my future looked good. I had the skill and heart to protect my family, my city and my people.

Yep, the future was bright!

 

++ Helena ++

Bittersweet.

Like strong coffee ice-cream, I savored the feeling in my mouth, my heart, my soul. It was a gorgeous day, summer full and ripe around us, the air scented with sweet plants, and the smells and sounds of New Gotham pulsing just beyond the walls. Only Barbara's strong hand anchored me, just as she always had since…

Since mom had died.

Wordlessly, I knelt in the long grass, Barbara silent sentinel beside me. It looked the same as it did the day I had buried the person I loved most in the world, the starkly carved granite that bore her name.

Selina Kyle.

Beloved mother and friend.

There were no dates, because in a way, she would never truly be gone. The grooves of the words were smooth against my shaking fingers as I traced them and tasted my tears and loss.

"Miss you, mom. I wanted you to know that I'm okay, and I'm gonna keep being okay. Barbara finally got a clue and realized that she couldn't live without me." I could sense the gentle smile. "And I found someone else that understands the wild part of me that way I think you did. You never got a chance to see what I've become, mom. I get to be a hero, chase the bad guys into their holes the way you did, the way… the way my father did." I had made my peace with Bruce Wayne, and somehow I could sense the approval of the woman who had loved him so. Clearing my throat, I wiped at a few tears and pressed them into the fragrant earth covering her bones. "There's babies coming, mom. They're gonna be amazing. And I took over the Wayne Manor, can you believe that?" Nervously rustling into my back pocket, I yanked out the rumpled paper.

The name had been my idea. Not just a tribute to the people I loved both then and now, but also as a last-ditch effort to really get involved.

"Here mom, I want you to have this." Reverently, I smoothed the page, once again studying the document photo-copied there. "New Gotham school district okayed us. Just yesterday. I wanted you to be proud of me and Barbara and everyone else, and I wanted you to be a part of it too. It's just the kinda thing you'd've done if you were still around. No one'll ever forget you now. Ever."

The page was an official document, full of gibberish and legalese. But what still made my heart ache in wonderment and bittersweet emotions, was the name of the new school on the Wayne Estate.

We were official and the sky was the limit.

This would be a place not just for reading, writing and 'rithmetic, but for educating everybody on the new breed of humanity. The choice of words for our name were deliberate, so that even our school acronym would be a reminder of who and what we were about. Classes would start soon, and our futures were bright. Soon, students would begin filling the echoingly empty manor and the school would begin its new mission.

At the Selina Kyle Memorial Education and Teaching Academy.

 

++ Shan ++

"That all you got?" I sneered at my partner and Helena rolled her eyes.

"It's not me you have to worry about, smartass."

The hit came out of nowhere, a blistering sting rippling across my scalp, despite the padded edges. Even my enhanced reflexes couldn't snag the batarang as it whistled away from the impact to return to Gabby's hand. Sweating and scared, the teen nonetheless wielded this new power magnificently. Babs was doing really good work with her.

"Nice shot, OJ," I admitted grudgingly and rubbed the sore spot. "You nailed me fair and square."

Where Ro was squared off with Dinah, she smirked before feinting at my lover to test her defenses. A smart-aleck comment from Davie a few days ago had started us on learning whole new skills. Something to the effect of, 'what kind of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are you four if you can't use the weapons?' Despite the continuing inane theme of the Turtles, she had a point. In the hands of us twins and the Hel-cat, the power of hand-held weapons could be realized in a way that would make our ancestors drool. And Dinah had proven to have an unexpected gift with nearly any tool of defense and destruction we put in her hands. Couple that with her 'kinesis and we were trouble on the hoof! Gabby was learning all of Oracle's tricks of the trade, in the off chance that she'd ever need to defend herself.

Hel wasn't too pleased with the idea of carrying weapons, but a pair of Rafael-inspired sai seemed to be changing her mind. The three-pronged defensive hardware suited her style of fighting. Dinah and Babs had rigged a pair of the telescoping fighting sticks to snap together and create a fairly long staff. There was no way in hell I was gonna use those ridiculous nunchucks, so Bug and Davie were still in the design phases of various toys that were being built into our new suits. Hel's was so cool that Alfred had been slaving over completely new uniforms for me and Ro. I knew that Bug had been helping the man out to design tailored costumes for each of us, and she'd been offering various kinds of offensive and defensive hardware for testing.

This time I spied the batarang headed my way, and 'ported to intercept. Plucking it out the air as I rematerialized, I dropped like a stone and landed in a half-crouch right in front of Gabby, snarling wildly. Something totally unexpected happened.

Gabby yelped and shrank away, honestly afraid. It was only a split-second, but I saw and smelled the terror before she tried to cover it up. For an instant, I saw how badly the Harley-ized Ro had hurt not just Babs, but Gabby too. It was a desperate, powerful hug, as I swept the girl into my arms and began to purr.

"S… sorry," she whispered against my neck and I squeezed harder.

"No, Gabs, we're sorry. We forgot that you were hurt too. Forgiveness doesn't negate fear." Once again, I had no clue where the wisdom came from, but Gabs leaned back only far enough to look at me wonderingly. "Time and love will do that. Maybe we should call it a day, huh? I don't think I can handle getting nailed by you one more time."

Her expression cleared, and for now, that was enough.

 

++ Janelle ++

How I despised paperwork. So how had I ended up doing it half my life? The school made me feel useful amidst these extraordinary people, so it was worth all the hassle. Sighing heavily, I sprawled back into my chair and gazed over the massive forest that surrounded the Wayne Manor. It was an amazing facility we had here, perfect for what we were embarking on. Nothing related to the school had me restless this evening.

Well, nothing directly anyway.

There was a part of me that was still overwhelmed at everything that had happened to me. Trapped in a false world inside my own mind, while the real one went on without me, I had completely lost three years. Even as I had grown used to the stranger looking back at me in the mirror, the differences were stark contrast to my memories. I'd firmed up the softness accumulated as an invalid and gotten back a healthy skin tone, but the hair I had left long as a reminder.

Not that I needed to look any farther than the twins to remind me.

It had taken a couple weeks of getting to know Ro's new packmates, but I'd finally been allowed into their bed, so that our mutual love interest could stop splitting her time. For a few nights, we'd all merely slept, until Ro got fed up with Hel's possessive tension and jumped her. Watching those two wildcats had been an experience like none other, especially with Barbara running light fingers over me with seeming casualness.

By the time that night ended, none of their touches were casual, and I was treated to an initiation to a world I could have never imagined. Even Helena roughly marked my skin in several places while her packmates made me cry out like a proper hussy.

That long night, which left me sore all over for days, was a catalyst to my acceptance, and I knew that I would never be alone again.

"Hey, Jan," Helena's voice startled me as she poked her head into my little office adjacent to the master suite. "Come play. It's a gorgeous sunset and the teens have decided that we need a proper barbeque." When I didn't move, still caught up in the webs of my thoughts, Helena sauntered over to stand at my knees. When she spoke again, her voice had changed from her usual boisterous, arrogant self to the gentle pussycat that she could be in bed. "What is it?"

A grin tugged at my mouth in pleasure that I was allowed to see this side of the wildcat that ruled our day to day lives. "Gathering wool. Thankful that I've earned your trust. That I'm here, with all of this." My vague gesture encompassed everything, I hoped. With a grin and a snorting chuckle, Helena pulled me to my feet and wrapped me in a suffocating hug.

"Glad I got a clue. I like you. Now c'mon, family and pack awaits."

Willingly, I allowed Helena to drag me to the roof where I could bask in the warmth of family and pack, indeed.

 

++ Menolly ++

Being treated like I was… human was still taking some getting used to. It was the little stuff that still left me off-kilter sometimes. Like eating at a table, with utensils. Everyone was very careful to treat me like an equal without making a big deal about it. Tiny too, and the treatment had made us both blossom. He was a proper boy/dog now, the household easily adapting to his animal simplicity. As long as I was social on a regular basis, and slept regularly and often with supervision, I was given free rein with all the astonishing technology and labs in the manor. I had begun constructing several new ones, not just to maximize the potential of the nanites, but anything else that caught my attention. Ro and Barbara especially understood the burn to create things, and helped me out on a regular basis. It was bizarre that they left me in charge of my own projects, and asked me kindly and with no pressure to help out of some of theirs.

But as much as I felt like I was starting to fit in…

There was Gabby.

Every time I was around her, I felt like someone had partially disconnected my nervous system, starting with my upper brain. Sure, I understood that I was attracted to her, but so what? No one would want me for real, I was too strange. The sweet smell of her attraction to me was a constant torment, but I couldn't bear the idea that it was only animal attraction. I relished being a person now, not some kind of object to be used and owned. Yet, Gabby was as kind to me as the others, and made a real effort to act normal around me.

Did she know that I could smell her need?

So, if she needed me, but still treated me like a person… then maybe, just maybe I could act on the energy between us. Some instinctual part of me understood that Gabby probably never would, too afraid of hurting me emotionally. Intrigued now, I did my best to examine the warm feelings that were so welcome, and so strange.

I loved all these wonderful people here, the ones that had given me a healthy home to grow in as an individual. But there were layers. The crush I'd always had on the twins, even when they were just a memory, the new crushes on the kind adults in my life now. The attractiveness of my peers, like Dinah, even if I could only admire from a distance.

But Gabby was different. She wanted me too, and wasn't in a relationship with anybody.

Determination washed over me, and I relished having control over my own destiny. No matter how pursuing Gabby might turn out, it was my decision, my success or failure.

Nothing was more powerful than that!

 

++ Alfred ++

Knowing that the household was most likely gathered in the study, I stacked my treasures on the breakfast cart and journeyed out of the armor room. It was strangely ironic and completely appropriate that the new generation of heroes had adopted the very room where their predecessors had once spent so much time. In the past, this was where Batman and his various young heroes had relaxed from their shadow lives.

When I first entered the mostly-dark room, there was little note of my presence and I drank them in for a long moment. I was thrilled with my new family, even if I had trouble moving beyond the formality of my position.

A discrete clearing of the throat had their attention, the movie on hold. "What's up, Alfred?" Miss Helena asked cheerfully, and the main lights came up.

"Greetings everyone, I have an announcement. I have the first generation of the new armor. Miss Shan? Since you have been the most anticipatory, would you like to see yours first?"

"Hell yes," she managed not to shout, but her voice was squeaky with excitement. She vanished and I braced myself in the instant before she reappeared only inches from my nose "Sorry," she apologized sheepishly.

"Quite all right, child," I smiled and picked up one of the neat stacks of material. "I believe that you will like this."

She barely heard me, that much was obvious, as she took the gift in trembling hands and squatted to shake it into looseness against the hardwood floor. This costume was constructed of the newly improved materials that Miss Menolly had worked so hard on. At first glance it appeared much like Miss Helena's gorgeous cat suit, a firm, neoprene-like material that was both thick and thin at the same time. There were thicker, cushioned stripes worked into the design that were reminiscent of a snake's long belly scales

"It looks too big," Shan commented once she had the suit completely flattened out beneath everyone's gaze. "And how the hell do you open it?"

"Here," I explained patiently, kneeling to pick up the left cuff, where the glove dangled obscenely from the unusually stiff forearm. "There is a key built into both sleeves, as well as the tail sleeve. Press them to the collar to open it from the neck, or to the waist to split the top and bottom into shirt and trousers."

Shan watched in perfect attention as I touched the dull, silvery, unobtrusive triangular tabs together and the bonding strips gaped open. A single, curious finger from my young companion had the entire thing open from neck to groin. "What is this stuff?"

"I'm afraid you will have to ask Miss Menolly for an explanation of the bonding strips working properties. It makes little sense to an old man."

How I adored the girl's grin, an engaging, toothy blast of warmth for me. My paternal feelings for this unusual young woman was something I had given up fighting. When she jumped up and grabbed the bottom of her t-shirt, I stood and wisely turned my back.

"It's awfully bulky," Miss Rowan murmured to herself and I heard Miss Menolly chuckle knowingly.

"Just be patient, Boo."

"Okay, Alfred, you can turn around again, I'm relatively decent. How do you close it up? Guess we'll need to see how much we need to take it in to fit perfect, huh?"

"Not at all, Miss Shan," I smiled serenely and turned around, avoiding looking down where the suit gaped open at the bonding strips. "Touch the key to the lock again and wait a moment."

The instant the key surfaces touched, I was treated once more to the strange miracle of the properties of this new type of armor. The bonding surfaces slowly began to seal themselves shut, pausing as long as Shan kept a curious finger blocking its progress.

"Sweet," she breathed quietly, watching the gaping edges close themselves around her torso. Then she jumped in shock as the next phase of the suit initiated, and the baggy material began to tighten up, molding to her skin in comforting caress. "Ohmigod," she squealed happily. "Ro, try yours on, you're gonna shit when you feel what this thing is doing!

It only took a moment for Miss Rowan to change as well, and they stared at each other, near mirror images clothed in identical black with dull silver highlights. Now young Menolly came over to watch the process with a critical eye. "The booties are thin, but twice as strong as the rest of the suit, to protect your feet. I figured that you'd want to actually feel the surfaces beneath you."

I handed over the helmets, warmed at their enthusiasm. Both women turned the strange-looking helmet in their hands, obviously confused. It was ridiculous looking contraption, like a full hood coupled with a skullcap and bug-eyed face mask that vaguely resembled their old helmets. Except that there were two loose bulges of material sewn into the sides of the helmet, which looked like nothing so much as a misplaced pair of socks.

"Hey!" Ro suddenly chortled. "I get it. These stupid-looking things are for our ears. Squeakers, we'll actually be able to hear halfway decently!"

Even completely covered by the suit, the delight of the twin's was obvious. The helmet conformed to their skull and ears, allowing those interesting appendages at least some small measure of freedom within the stiff-soft material. A flash of bare skin in the corner of my eye warned me to not look, as Miss Helena and Miss Dinah had managed to filch theirs while I had been otherwise occupied. They murmured quietly to each other, marveling at the amazing technology they were wearing. Miss Menolly had stepped close, regarding them with a quiet pride that sat nicely on her normally shy personality.

"Now," she said with strong satisfaction. "You look like superheroes."

I couldn't have agreed more.

 

++ Carolyn ++

The concept of family was malleable here.  
It suited me perfectly.

The woman I had been once had blended with the woman I was now. Scandal lingered in the back of my mind, amusing me hugely. After what I had been through, I clung to the love that warmed this cold old house. Basked in it, really. There was a small part of me that railed that I should be furious with Dinah, my baby now in an obviously sexual relationship with Shan. She was a big girl, and I ignored the little voice. After what all these people had been through, me included, we deserved happiness and no stupid, puritanical dogma was going to ruin that.

So, I made myself available to my daughter if she needed to talk, and made a real effort to get to know Shan, whom I really liked. They were good together, a solid balance of strengths, weaknesses, and common interests. Not to mention having Helena, Ro and all the others at their backs. I couldn't detract Dinah from her path, the metahuman powers had made sure of that, but I could do what I could to ensure that she was as safe as could be expected.

That brought my attention back to the bundle in my lap, and I stroked the sturdy material with a fingertip. How like Alfred to sense the reluctant wistfulness in me, no matter how much I wanted to deny it.

I wanted to be the Black Canary again.

Oh, not full-time, I was too old and too scarred for that, but I missed the thrill. The edge of danger, the wind in my hair as I raced through the city, bleeding and sweating to keep it safe. Barbara felt it too; I could see it in her eyes. That thought made me shake out the black body suit and study it in the low light.

Like Robin before me, there was a bird shape on the chest, wings outstretched in freedom. Perhaps I would, but fear still held me back.

"Still debating?" Davie's voice made me jump in surprise and look to the doorway. There was an energy there that neither of us was entirely certain what to do with. Then again, didn't I feel just the same about Kelly? While we had never been intimate in the physical sense of the word, we had been a family and couple in every other sense of the word. We three made a good team, and my thoughts strayed to Barbara's intimate little pack. If they could make it work, maybe I could too.

Davie's eyes widened at my slow smile.

"You know," I mused, knowing perfectly well that I was being a tease. "I think that we old timers could show the kids a few new moves." Kelly stepped from the shadows, physically dwarfing Davie, with Carrie at her side. Dick flanked her. "You ready to learn the ropes, Chameleon?"

In response, Carrie blurred and was gone, completely matching her powers to the colors and shades around her. "Yep," came her disembodied voice. Then she blinked back into sight, looking put out. "Mom!"

Kelly grinned and ruffled her daughter's hair. She had obviously triggered her power to heighten or deaden other metas. "Jus' had to make sure I still had the mojo. Ready there, Canary?"

I took a moment to hit the adjoining bathroom and change to the music of their various chuckles. Attired once more in the tools of the trade, I kissed first Kelly, earning a bemused smile, then Davie. The exotic telepath looked startled and reluctantly pleased, before she and Kelly looked shyly at each other and began giggling.

The future looked bright!

 

++ Gabby ++

Bummed, I stared into my coke and internally moaned that I couldn't even drink. Gibson had no problem with me being here and the new and improved No Man's Land, but no alcohol. He was a nice guy, so I didn't have a problem with the rule, usually.

Tonight I was on my own. Which sucked, because I wasn't used to it anymore. Patrols had become a regular part of our lives, school would be starting soon, and I had felt trapped and useless at the manor. So I'd come to the meta club to hang out, and now felt fairly miserable.

There was a decent crowd tonight, a colorful cross-section of humanity that looked perfectly normal if you didn't know any better. Most of them, anyway. I recognized Jack, the woman who was constantly arching with electricity, clothed in her special suit that Menolly had constructed to keep her power under control.

Thinking about the pretty little mutate made me smile. We'd started the exciting dance of courtship, shy and fiery by turns. We rarely spent a sleep-cycle apart, and the exploratory kisses and caresses were growing slowly bolder. She called the shots, and I had no problem with that, only pushing lightly against her boundaries. She'd been through too much nasty shit in her life, and I wasn't about to hurt her further.

A ruckus on the other end of the room made me look over.

And stop in my tracks.

It was Menolly, flanked by Dinah and Shan, all dressed like visions of leather and sex, in those damnable costumes that were so damn sexy. Did Menolly design them that way on purpose? 'Cause I sure couldn't imagine Alfred doing it. Then again, look at that first suit he made for Helena…

While Shan stepped over to greet some friends, and Di went for the pool table, Menolly came to me. When had she made a suit for herself? And when had she started going on patrol?

"Just this once," she explained sheepishly, as though reading my mind, and gestured at the suit, which gaped open to the waist to show a thin tank top. "I had to know what they did exactly, so I could Oracle better."

That description made me grin. 'To Oracle' indeed. "Maybe I should do the same someday."

"Maybe," Menolly teased back and I felt warm all over. Then a pulse of music I knew well thrummed through the club and I perked up. "Hey, I know this song, it's one of your favorites," Bug commented happily and grabbed my hand. "Dance with me."

I found myself dragged out to the dance floor by the small woman who was much stronger than her tiny stature indicated. We felt good together, half dancing apart and half together. It was like sex, the shy drift of bodies into closer and closer contact, shyness and nerves melting away in the growing heat. We moved together well, and I took that as a good sign for our near future.

When Menolly boldly tugged me down to be kissed, there in the flashing lights, I felt my heart and body warm. When Shan bumped up against me, half-suggestively, I felt surrounded and loved. It didn't get any better than this.

 

++ Davie ++

"How you holding up?"

Scowling at the little microphone that a technician was fiddling with at her collar, Shan took a deep breath and looked at me with frightened eyes. "Little scared, sensei."

I was pleasantly startled by the respectful term, the Japanese word for 'teacher'. It's what the Turtles called Splinter, and I liked it. Ro was more relaxed, but her tail still danced in agitation beside her sister's. Casey O'Rourke suddenly bustled in, all business in her pantsuit, and rarin' to go. "Ready?"

Helena swatted both twins on the butt as she sashayed by crowing, "bring it on! We've been waiting months to do this!"

That was enough for the others to follow meekly into the comfortable study that had been set up as a little studio. Barbara and Bruce were there for the four superheroes, as was I. The others were nearby for moral support. We were dressed comfortably, as normal as anyone else, to project assurance to the awaiting audience.

Casey had been setting this up for what seemed like forever, because we had completely shut off the media except for her. Accurate information had to be passed out, and we'd set up this live interview to begin the process of helping the next stage of human evolution to be accepted by the greater part.

"Okay guys," Casey grinned reassuringly and we all relaxed a fraction. "Remember that this is your show. If this goes well, we'll set up another block of TV time to do questions and answers. If you get stumped, I have that list of topics we went over. Are we good?"

We murmured affirmative as one of the techs gave us a one minute warning. Casey put on her game face and turned to the camera with the red indicator light.

"Good evening from New Gotham, my name is Casey O'Rourke, and I'm here with a select handful of the newest stage of human evolution. Good evening everybody, if you'd like to introduce yourselves?"

Once that was over, Casey turned the interview into more of a conversation, trusting that people were following along on the other end of the camera. Ro went into great detail about Smith's lab, assuring that she was personable and sweet and protective. She was a genius at it, projecting all the best things about the twins and all of these good people. Shan was quiet reinforcement, occasionally dropping in comments. Barbara and Bruce went into the bare details of how the meta powers were genetic adaptations, and that each of us were unique. They were also positive on living with Metas, no matter how extreme our powers. The twins demonstrated the teleporting, and how prehensile those tails really were, handing a pleased Casey her glass with Slinky. Helena flashed her eyes, crumpling a hollow metal tube that she couldn't even dent without her Meta strength. Bruce, Helena and Dick went into how the manor would be a place for safety, schooling and training for metahumans, and welcomed people to visit as long as they set up an appointment.

Finally, hunger set in, and Casey called a halt to the rambling interview. The red light flashed off and we all gave a sigh of relief, cast and crew alike. "Well," the reporter smiled tiredly. "I think that went well. I've already made arrangements with Helena to stay here for the foreseeable future and act as intermediary for the whole lot of you. It's the least I can do for you, after being saved from that sociopath."

Ah yes, the now-neutralized Harley Quinn. The nightmare landscape of her mind would haunt me forever, but it was worth it to protect my family. No matter what the future, these people were indeed my family, for I belonged here the way I had never belonged anywhere before.

It was time for me to set aside my restless oars and take root here. I was ready now, and grabbed the twins around their necks to hug them roughly. Purring, they accepted the embrace and sent me out among the people who were redefining me one piece at a time.

 

++ Barbara ++

Something woke me suddenly, and I lay quietly amidst my lovers in the pre-dawn gloom and cast about with my non-sight senses. There was no threat in the muggy air, and only the hiss of rain coming in through the open windows. I smelled my women, the thick of the air, that weird laundry detergent that Alfred used.

There was a flutter of movement deep in my body that froze me from the synapses out.

Was that?

Ohmigod…

Looking down where my swelling belly was pressed to Ro's spine, I saw that Helena's hand was in its customary spot, cradling the growing triplets. They were growing inhumanly fast, assisted as they were by the nanites.

Then, again…

They were stirring restlessly, the sensation completely foreign and yet deeply familiar to my body. It was an exquisite sensation, and I held my breath, waiting and hoping for the feathery feeling again.

Binky stretched in time to Ro's other muscles and Jan made a small noise where she was cradled in the tallest's arms. I reached out and took her hand, tugging it to lay beside Helena's limp one, gently elbowing the later.

"Feel," I whispered excitedly as Helena jerked awake and made an irritated kitty noise.

Everyone was still, waiting with shallow breath in the thick air.

As though sensing her mother's closeness, there was a ruckus of movement deep in my womb, thrilling the three of us. It was as though the triplets were suddenly completing for our attention and a delighted laugh bubbled up from inside me.

"Oh, oh wow," Helena breathed and Ro made a delighted sound before rolling over to nuzzle me. Hel groped over Ro's body, earning a yelp and a giggle from Jan, until she found a hand. "Feel!"

"So soon?" Jan asked. "They're only three months!"

"Bless those Fleas!"

There were a few flutters for Janelle's small hand as I rolled to my back and stretched. "That is the coolest feeling," I hummed happily and Jan gave Ro a warm look where she was draped over her.

"You have got to get me knocked up, too."

Ro chuckled in that throaty purr, echoed by Helena. "I think that can be managed, Honey."

This was the perfect life. Anything I could ever want. Despite the world outside our cozy nest, all the darkness and hate and fear, we had this. Students and families were filling the manor and classes would begin in two days. The world was slowly being educated in the reality of its Metahuman children, and in time, there would be general acceptance. My past and present and future were all in line together, and I would never again be alone.

My children, who even now, I couldn't image not adoring with everything that I was, would carry the best legacy into the future. We mothers and lovers had come from the darkness of pain and loss to a bright, bright tomorrow. No matter which of us walked with whom or when, we would always be a part of one another and that was good enough.

Perfect.

 **The End  
Now go write your own adventures for these Heroes!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like the image of Ro, relaxed in the sunlight with Fluffy in her lap. That actually came directly from the chorus of The Bells. It helped kick-start this finale, because I really wanted to revisit every major character, to give them a chance to toss in their last two cents. Hope you had a good time on this rollercoaster! Bye for now.
> 
> The Bells-Venus Hum
> 
> I wait to hear the bells   
> The bells, the bells, the bells   
> Cup my hand around my ear to listen for them   
> The bells   
> I ache to hear the bells   
> The bells, the bells, the bells   
> Hold my breath, hold my chest-wait for them   
> The bells   
> I start to hum a tune, oh so softly hum a tune   
> One foot from the other, and the first it follows suit   
> Oh so slowly follows suit
> 
> I am taken by the sun!   
> The golden glorious sun!   
> Arms spread wide and my face toward the sky!   
> I am singing at the top of my lungs!   
> I am taken by the sun!
> 
> Near silent behind the trees I hear them now   
> The bells   
> They are ringing, I am singing with the bells   
> There is joy I cannot spell with dry words or letters   
> I can sing it very well and it comes out much better   
> I am singing very well of the joy I cannot say   
> Without the music of the bells
> 
> I am taken by the sun!   
> The golden glorious sun!   
> Arms spread wide and my face toward the sky!   
> I am singing at the top of my lungs!   
> I am taken by the sun!
> 
> The Journey Home- Sarah Brightman
> 
> The journey home is never too long  
> Your heart arrives before the train  
> The journey home is never too long  
> Some yesterdays always remain
> 
> I'm going back to where my heart was light  
> When my pillow was a ship, I sailed through the night
> 
> The journey home is never too long  
> When open hearts are waiting there  
> The journey home is never too long  
> There's room to love and room to spare  
> I want to feel the way that I did then  
> And think my wishes through before I wish again
> 
> Not every boat you come across is one you have to take  
> No, sometimes standing still can be the best move you ever make
> 
> The journey home is never too long  
> Comes helps to heal the deepest pain  
> The journey home is never too long  
> Your heart arrives before the train

**Author's Note:**

> I love this song. I loved it long before I knew the title, artist or learned most of the words. There's something evocative about this girl and her music. The image it conjured up was Helena perched warily atop a high point, like a building or a bridge, facing off with a stranger in the pounding rain. In time, the image evolved into my Rowan becoming part of Helena's life.
> 
> I'm With You  
> By Avril Lavigne
> 
> I'm standing on the bridge  
> I'm waiting in the dark  
> I thought that you'd be here by now  
> There's nothing but the rain  
> No footsteps on the ground  
> I'm listening but there's no sound
> 
> Isn't anyone trying to find me?  
> Won't somebody come take me home?
> 
> (Chorus)  
> It's a damn cold night  
> Trying to figure out this life  
> Won't you take me by the hand  
> Take me somewhere new  
> I don't know who you are  
> But I, I'm with you  
> I'm with you
> 
> I'm looking for a place  
> I'm searching for a face  
> Is anybody here I know?  
> Cause nothing's going right  
> And everything's a mess  
> And no one likes to be alone
> 
> Isn't anyone trying to find me?  
> Won't somebody come take me home?
> 
> (Chorus)
> 
> Why is everything so confusing?  
> Maybe I'm just out of my mind
> 
> (Chorus)
> 
> Take me by the hand  
> Take me somewhere new  
> I don't know who you are  
> But I, I'm with you  
> (Repeat)


End file.
